Here follows a list of widely held myths about Afghanistan.
1. The number of troops
According to the figures often cited in the media, the number of NATO troops in Afghanistan, most of which are American, is near 100,000. Actually, the number is twice as large, as there are more than 104,000 private contractors in that country who carry out many of the missions the military used to carry out itself.
2. We must cut benefits.
One of the clichés of the day, repeated even by several liberal economists, is that we must cut benefits (such as Medicare and Social Security) in order to reduce the deficit, because that is where the big bucks are. Well, is a trillion dollars big enough? We have already spent some $229 billion in Afghanistan and our commitment to stay the course there is estimated to be at least $1 trillion for the next decade.
3. Our money helps build a new Afghanistan.
For counterinsurgency to succeed, we are told we cannot win militarily; we must win over the hearts and minds of the population. To succeed we need to get them jobs and a decent income, eradicate illiteracy and otherwise build a civil society. Several reports show that corrupt Afghans ferret out so much money that ends up in overseas bank accounts (especially in Dubai) that this outflow exceeds whatever we have given them. (The difference is made up by income from the trade in poppy).
4. We seek to help Afghanistan build a democracy.
Yeah, but only as long as they do what they are told by our emissaries. We played a key role in drafting their constitution. We insisted that the government be a Kabul-centered one, which appoints governors and mayors and allows next to no autonomy in a country in which local bonds are strong and the distrust of the national government runs deep. We regularly seek to manipulate the decisions made by the Afghan government and undermine the peace deal Karzai is trying to work out with the Taliban. No wonder they have no real sense of what democracy is all about.
"You cannot fool all of the people..."
Americans are busy seeking jobs or doing theirs, taking care of their children, trying to find a few moments to follow their favorite sports team and have a beer. It hence takes them time before they realize that they are hoodwinked by reports about Afghanistan. But in the longer run -- and by now we have been in this war longer than in any other -- they will see that what they are told about Afghanistan has no connection to the reality on the ground. They are not going to appreciate having been fooled.
Follow Amitai Etzioni on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AmitaiEtzioni
It is selfish of this generation to charge future generations for our mistakes. One way is to charge a 100% death tax (after burial expenses) for all Americans until the portion of the national debt attributed to the Wars is paid in full.
How could any living person object?
Too bad we (the people) get no return on the investment. Why not invest in America? Oh, I forgot, Osama bin Laden may still be alive and may still be in Afghanistan living in a cave, and he may have had a hand in 911. Lest we forget something that was never really proved in the first place, let’s continue to shovel money and lives into Afghanistan. We’ll call it, uh, speculation.
http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/16-no-hard-evidence-connecting-bin-laden-to-9-11/
'The U.S. will have to confront Iran or give up the Middle East', Amitai Etzioni, June 23, 2010
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/focus-u-s-a/focus-u-s-a-the-u-s-will-have-to-confront-iran-or-give-up-the-middle-east-1.297931
Etzioni fails to mention: 1. The Obama-Iran plan negotiated Brazilian/Turkey team; 2. Make the entire mid-east a nuclear-free zone.
R/ PRONESE
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/international_politics/afghanistan+the+plan+to+aposreintegrateapos+the+taliban/3716677
In the 10th year the cost has risen from 50 bn last year to 70 bn this year.
The gov't of Afganistan lacks any popular support.
Defense Minister's son got 360 million for transport from the Pentagon but owns no trucks.
They don't have roads, don't have schools.
A Chinese company bought an $88 bn copper mine.
America is funding both sides of an Afghan civil war.
The Afghan Army is not responsible for security in any part of the country
We deserve the government we get.
Getting out of Afghanistan would benefit the US the same was as getting out of Indochina and Algeria benefitted France, getting out of Indonesia benefitted the Netherlands, getting out of Africa benefitted Belgium and Portugal, etc .etc. Our departure will probably not benefit the Afghans (certainly not the women). European colonialism was for profit. US imperial motives have - in addition - included misguided idealism. Either way, it doesn’t work. It just ruins you. Give it up.
Tom Kando,
http://european-americanblog.blogspot.com/
60 girls schools burned down?
Harpers has a new article
Theoretically, he may have that power, but realistically he would have to overcome the opposition of the Military Industrial Complex which wields far more clout than the President.
Having invested over two decades treasure in producing more weaponry than the rest of the world combined while our industrial base shriveled, we have turned our destiny over to militarists.
The President's function is to read the speeches the MIC writes for him.
We're spending 16% of the current defense budget on Afghanistan, so cut that?
Why not bring the 90,000 troops home from Germany and Japan?
Those countries haven't been a problem for a while :-)