Trump’s Afghanistan

It was inevitable that America would wage military might in Afghanistan to rout out Al Qaeda and Bin Laden. George W Bush and Dick Cheney were right about that. And so it was done.

That’s how we got involved with Afghanistan. Like the French and Russians before us – and most likely many others as well throughout history – Afghanistan has been an allure for foreign nations. Regardless, we were there for Osama bin Laden.

For a time we did rout Al Qaeda. Eventually we got Bin Laden, too, only it was in Pakistan, an ally that knew well Bin Laden was living safely within its borders.

But we got sidetracked by many things: Afghanistan was a mess: its people living in squalor, its streets in chaos and violence, Taliban running amok, so too Al Qaeda. Buildings were demolished by enemy attack. American GIs trained Afghani troops only to have them turn on the GIs and kill them in sneak attacks. Who was Taliban and who was not? The enigma morphed continually to make mirrors not speak true reflections.

As reality and myth meshed, we happily were sidetracked into nation building. We were the good guys and we would leave Afghanistan whole and self determining. We learned long after that she was already self determining, we just didn’t think the conditions were wanted as such.

As the puzzling reality took shape we didn’t understand it. And so it was that the lure of Iraq took us out of Afghanistan (only we didn’t admit that openly) so we could play real war games on our own terms.

And that turned out badly as well.

Perhaps Americans should admit we do not understand the world community as well as we think? The Middle Eastern culture is everyman’s culture when you think of it. This is the cradle of civilization; we’ve all been here before; that doesn’t mean we know it and understand it. Biblical times. Koran times. Torah times.

Get it? These are the books of knowledge and wisdom we preach in many tongues throughout the globe. Yet we pretend to know of each other we actually do not. Pity. There is so much more we could be if only we invested the effort. And time.

Meanwhile we strike out in ways we know and continue the muddle. Muddling is what we do well when we don’t know any better. Only we should know better. We have trillions of dollars in military materiel and equipment and people. But we don’t have the knowledge of the current State Department to guide wise use of our assets. No; we continue to do as we usually do. Maybe we should stop digging the hole?

Trump’s speech to the nation Monday, August 21, 2017 was a rambling bit of froth. He clearly knows little of what he speaks. He blames others for the situation in which we find ourselves, only he thinks he is the only one in the mess. No; we are all in the soup on this one. How to manage the situation and not lose national face is the goal. That’s the same imagined outcome we’ve all had for some time.

Trump does not bring fresh eyes or ideas to the situation. But he did speak truth we all have come to know: Afghanistan is and was a mistake; Iraq is and was a mistake; Taliban and Al Qaeda own the ‘peace’ of the Middle East; leaders and ‘owners’ of the Middle East get wealth and satisfaction for themselves by keeping the area in chaos; the drug trade globally relies on Afghanistan’s crops of evil; in that is much wealth, for some.

The treasure and human life we have paid in Afghanistan will never be recovered. We grieve and regret. It is time to leave as cleanly as possible. Just keep our backsides covered as we turn and exit.

For Pakistan – the cowering two-faced ally – do the same. Turn and exit.

Focus instead on building lasting peace among allies in the region. Just be careful who we name as allies. So far all have wanted America as friend because of her money and might. It’s time to say no to that and insist on something better.

The ball is in their court. Let’s see what they come up with. And this mean Netanyahu as well.

I just shudder thinking trump is in the swing seat at a time like this!

August 23, 2017