Brave New Foundation Releases New Film On Afghanistan Troop Surge (VIDEO)

President Obama has committed 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan. This decision raises serious questions about troops, costs, overall mission, and exit strategy. Historically, it has been Congress' duty to ask questions in the form of oversight hearings that challenge policymakers, examine military spending, and educate the public. After witnessing the absence of oversight regarding the Iraq war, we must insist Congress hold hearings on Afghanistan.

Watch the first part from our full-length documentary that will serve as a driving force to help make oversight hearings a reality.

Go to Brave New Foundation for more information.

Comments

[leonel]

I agree with lynnn that I oversimplified saying Genghis Khan just "marched thru". I oversimplified because comment is limited to so many words. I was trying to get to my main point that the big failures in invading Afghanistan were by Russian Communists and American Republicans. The situation is ongoing and Obama/Democrats need to have pointed out to them risks of thinking that this country is open to easy change. They are trying to make big switch. What you call "turning on a dime," and they are finding out how hard it is.

[GravitonX]

The US military is not the Soviet Army or the British Army by any comparable measure. The example is flawed. Both previous invaders were seeking to colonize the Afghanistan (the British had some success at this in India), an offensive strategy, Obama strategy is primarily defensive, a far less risky military strategy, with the establishment of bases and only offensive to the extent that the United States can project power against forming regional threats, e.g. terrorists, possibly in Pakistan.

Also, by the way, the title that has been bestowed upon Afghanistan by some as "graveyard of empires" is largely more mystique than reality. Two external "empires" did succeed in conquering the region now called Afghanistan, the Mongols (later becoming the Mughals) and the Islam warlords whose power base was Mecca. All nations, all states, all peoples, at some point and under the right circumstances, can be conquered or defeat, but that is not the US's objective.

[mergina]

Here is a hearing for you. Taliban. Bin Laden. Brutality against women and children. Drug trafficking. Terror. The march to capture Pakistans nukes. The hierarchy of all the ills of Afghanistan IS IN PAKISTAN. If your mission is not to crush these murdering despots, if your mission is not to include going into Pakistan, If your mission does not include military support from every free nation in the world to do so, Then GET OUT OF AFGHANISTAN. If you do, Bin Laden wins, the Taliban win, Murder wins, Brutality wins, Drug addiction wins, and The Western World waits for the next attack from THEM.

[Lochmon]

Exit strategy? I would be quite curious to know what an exit strategy in Afghanistan is supposed to look like.

[Caolas]

Fly in 10,000 Peace Corp volunteers and fly out 50,000 troops. We can't just up and abandon the country like we did in the 80s (cut off the money after the Soviets pulled out). If they see our people -- ordinary American people -- coming over to help build, for the first time ever, an infrastructure in that country, we could foster an environment (schools, etc) where a Taliban movement will not find roots after we leave.

[shipbuilder23]

I agree with you Caolas in all but one way. I spent 2004 and 2005 in Afghanistan. My parents have spent 18 years of their adult lives in that nation. If you put 10,000 Peace Corp there and in the same instance take 50,000 soldiers out, then your going to have a lot of dead Peace Corp. The U.S. humanitarian endeavor in Afghanistan has been grossly underfunded and poorly managed. USAID has no idea what it was capable of doing before Reagan largely dismantled it. The humanitarian budget, (that's agriculture, health, and education) for 2003, 2004, and 2005 was 550 million; Not per year, but spread over those three years. Gross underfunding! In 2002 the Afghans were tired, and mostly ready for peace, but since then there lives have changed very little for the better. We had an opportunity to do a wonderful thing and instead were led off a cliff into Iraq. It may be to late, but we should not give up. More funding for health and eduction. Quadruple the number of scholarships for Afghanistan's best and brightest to study in the U.S. In that way we could forge an unbreakable alliance with that nations brain trust. I urge anybody reading these words to not give up on Afghanistan. It is a nation of beautiful and generous people.

[driselda]

It's like the concept "stay the course" - what the heavens does that mean?

[leonel]

REAL POLITICS: 6 INVADERS, ONLY 2 LOSERS: COMMUNIST PARTY AND REPUBLICAN PARTY. Afghanistan has been invaded by Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Arabs, British and US. We are likely the last and will walk backward slowly out of this beautiful feudal area, it's not a prize to be sought by empire builders. Alex the Great and Genghis Khan only marched through here; Arabs came to gift the tribes with Islam, the British set up a buffer state, to keep Russia away from India, it's prized possession. After the British left, the power vacuum led the tribes to ask Russia for help, but they would not behave as good communists. The CIA, to make the story simple, supplied the locals with small missiles to shot down Russian helicopters. Russians got fed up and left in humiliation, but it accelerated the communist party losing control of the Soviet Union/Russia. The locals reverted to fighting among themselves. The Taliban (Islamic fanatics) took the cities and the other forces took to the northern hills. Osama tried to hide here after he bombed NY and DC with hijacked jumbo jets. Bush Inc., thought they could create a civil society out of feudal tribes so they set up a puppet government, hoping democracy would catch on, like Islam caught on centuries before. Like Alex the Great and Genghis Khan, Republicans were headed for bigger prizes, Iraq, maybe Syria and Iran. Like the communists, Republicans lost control of their national government.

[lynnn]

Not true Ghengis Khan didn't just march through. The Mongol empire held it for at least 200 years, 500 if you use different criteria. Also there were some minor empires that held pieces of it. Afghanistan is a modern state that was created. It isn't some historical nation, pieces of Afghanistan have been in other kingdoms.

[lynnn]

MONGOLS were the one invading army (besides some smaller empires) to subjugate the area known as Afghanistan. It hardly took them a year. I will say this, they need to re-think the issue. I think Afghanistan should be split up (give the Pustans their own homeland), and I also think we need to somehow communicate the aspect that they were/are being used by Bin Laden, and just like every other non Arab Muslim, are seen as inferior to him.

[isthatso]

Wonder what Charlie Wilson has say about this now? We should have never backed the Afgan in the 80's and let Russia have it then.

[behindEnemyLines]

wrong we should have stayed and finished the job after we drove the russians out. We left and allowed radical extremist to take over. They build schools that taught hate while we moved on to something else. Afghanistan is a clear example of why you have to finish what you start.

[SteveMDFP]

The lesson is a bit more complex. "They build schools that taught hate.." is true, but the "they" is actually the religious establishment of Saudi Arabia. The word "Taliban" means "students of religious school."

Schools matter, because:

"The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Is The Hand That Rules The World"


Steve

[lynnn]

I think we need to be creative. Also, I hope people stop messing up their history.

Afghanistan has not been the ruination of all empires, The Mongols did not meat their defeat in that area (plus they held on to it for at least 200 years). There were also a few minor empires.

[newyorkid]

The is ABC and government brain washing to start yet another war in Pakistan.

[newyorkid]

The US must get out of Afganistan.