Facing the Future in Afghanistan

The long-awaited day of Osama bin Laden's death brings with it a number of emotions that many of us have shared in the past few days.

It brings us all a measure of relief in knowing that he no longer threatens to strike again and that we have undermined the strength of the al Qaeda network in a very serious way. We share in the enormous gratitude for the security and intelligence forces that successfully lead the operation to find him. And, most importantly, we hope that the families of 9/11 victims -- and our wounded nation -- will find some closure and sense of justice.

But the war in Afghanistan continues, and this reality challenges all of us to ask how we should proceed from here. President Obama made two commitments in the war on terror: to bring bin Laden to justice and to accelerate a transition out of Afghanistan starting this July. He has renewed the confidence of the world by fulfilling that first commitment in such a masterful way, but I sincerely hope that the president and Congress can now move forward to begin withdrawing our troops from Afghanistan.

(I have started a petition urging President Obama to follow through on a withdrawal from Afghanistan. You can sign here.)

The country has paid far too much and far too long for a war that has not made us safer. We've lost thousands of brave men and women to fighting in Afghanistan and our occupation of that country has given extremists fodder for recruitment. Meanwhile, we now spend nearly $7 billion a month for operations in Afghanistan, as Congress slashes health care and education at home to cut a budget deficit.

The time has come to bring our troops home -- and the operation to kill bin Laden only gives further proof of that. Success came not in Iraq or Afghanistan, not with nation building or hundreds of billions of dollars, but with good intelligence and a targeted effort. I hope this efficient, successful operation gives us a model for using our resources to their greatest effect.

The question today rings louder and clearer than ever: What are we doing in Afghanistan? As bin Laden's death brings some measure of closure to a wounded nation, I hope it also helps brings closure to this decade-long war.

 

Follow Rep. Chellie Pingree on Twitter: www.twitter.com/chelliepingree

Comments

[langej]

12:12 PM on 05/05/2011

"I hope it also helps brings closure to this decade-long war."
Sadly, it will not and cannot. The war will go on, with the Taliban willing to kill anyone who disagrees with them - including with their interpretation of Islam and their institutionalised oppression of Afghan women.

We can decide whether the US will help in this war or not - but no action of our can end it.

[Sheldon archer]

05:10 AM on 05/05/2011

What is America doing in Afghanistan you ask? What America is doing all over the world...interfering in other countries' business

[NeapTide]

11:59 PM on 05/04/2011

A good moment to hasten our departure. There is nothing to be gained in Afghanistan. Do we really want to keep spending 2 billion a week to be there ? Fiscal conservatives, what say you ?

[ewldest]

08:56 PM on 05/04/2011

"What are we doing in Afghanistan?" Besides wasting billions of dollars and thousands of lives for the benefit of a small group of multinational corporations - nothing much.
Time to face the fact - the need for that occupation is over - assuming it was ever there at all.

[Katherine Schock]

08:00 PM on 05/04/2011

Absolutely agree! Signed the letter and shared it. This targeted, well planned operation that killed bin Laden shows that it is a much better way of dealing with known offenders that an all out ground war. A war which has, unfortunately, not only resulted in too many military troop deaths and dismemberment, but also kills innocent civilians. Not a good way to make friends. We need to rebuild our own nation now!

[cornflower]

07:12 PM on 05/04/2011

Well, I guess we need to ask the representatives in Congress who voted to start the war why they did that and what they believed the goal to be. We haven't been fighting there for 10 years because it was all about bin Laden. It has not been about that. It's much more complicated. Rep. Pingree, if you voted for it, perhaps you can explain why you did and why now you would want to end it. What were our goals? have they now been achieved? If not, why would we leave before achieving our goals - because it's proven too expensive to achieve them? Are we bored? It seems as though the American people think that the killing bin Laden means that the movie should be over. But Afghanistan is a separate issue.

[Peabodies]

06:52 PM on 05/04/2011

Yes, Ms. Pingree, why are we in Afghanistan? I have been asking this for a long time. Still no answer. It's clear the Afghans do not want our western ways. It' s heartbreaking how long it is taking us to get the message.

[BillKen]

01:39 AM on 05/05/2011

There are competing priorities, on the one hand there is the money that is being made and will be
made and then there are the constituents who don't care about the money, only the lives wasted
in vain. I'm waiting to see who wins but I fear it will be the money changers because when all is said and done war is a very profitable business and we all know that the business of America is
is business. Semper Fi

[antipodal2u]

01:36 PM on 05/04/2011

Agree

[Garvagh]

01:33 PM on 05/04/2011

Bravo! Obama blundered when he followed the advice of Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates and David Petraeus and tripled the US troop deployment in Afghanistan. This has cost scores of billions of dollars and only widened the insurgency.

Minimal stability in Afghanistan cannot be achieved without considerable help from Iran.

[innerpuppie]

01:18 PM on 05/04/2011

I am SO totally against any 'nation building' in this rotten country. We have crappy roads, rotten dams, hazardous bridges, crumbling schools and some in Congress believe we should stay to help them? That is baloney!