More than eight years after the United States launched our involvement in Afghanistan, I am very concerned that continuing to operate a military-centric nation-building strategy in that country is not in our national security interests, and makes us dependent on an unreliable and corrupt government. It is time we stop focusing a disproportionate amount of our resources to a military initiative in Afghanistan; instead, we must shift our resources to a counterterrorism strategy, including pursuing al Qaeda’s global network. It is my belief that persisting in our current strategy may increase instability in Afghanistan and Pakistan at the expense of other approaches that could save both lives and resources.
However, withdrawal is about much more than smart strategy—it’s an economic issue. Borrowing tens of billions of dollars to pay for open-ended military operations in Afghanistan has ramifications here in the United States, where we are facing record deficits, high unemployment, and proposed reductions in domestic spending. We must not and cannot undermine our domestic priorities or our own security needs at the expense of Afghanistan.
Let me be clear: setting a withdrawal timeline does not mean we will cease our involvement in Afghanistan or the region. We will remain committed to assisting the people of Afghanistan, and will continue to support responsive, responsible and capable government institutions. But corruption, unreliability, and a lack of legitimacy in the existing Afghan government impede our current efforts and make success highly unlikely.
After 8 long years, hundreds of billions of dollars and – most importantly – thousands of our brave soldiers killed or wounded, it is past time to re-examine this strategy. Now, more than ever, we must take decisive action to end our current approach in Afghanistan.
Quite simply, we must no longer focus on nation-building in Afghanistan; rather we must do some more nation-building here at home.
Thank you,
Congressman Jim McGovern
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As a constituent and a supporter, I have always been appreciative of your moral compass and integrity. Although I am doubtful you will get enough support to force the administration to create a timeline, the dialogue that ensues is an important one nonetheless.
Afghanistan is the Graveyard of Empires. Alexander the Great, the British Empire, and the USSR all failed to conquer and control Afghanistan in their time.
Congressman, you know that historical track record and so do I.
As if that history isn’t enough reason to get out of Afghanistan, Afghan President Hamid Karzai is basically threatening to join the Taliban if the mean old Americans don’t stop pushing him to end the corruption and graft.
Our military people have died and been crippled and maimed defending this Karzai guy, and this is how he repays us. Ridiculous.
Additionally, it has been about 8 years since our operations in Afghanistan got started. If 8 years is not enough to do what has to be done there, what makes anyone think that 80 years or 800 years will be enough?
This resolution makes sense. I seriously question the integrity of anyone who would not support setting up a time line for getting out of Afghanistan and creating a counterinsurgency program to get Al-Qaeda. Are we going to send the military into the meat grinder of Afghanistan forever? That’s ridiculous.
I am almost certain that all of your election challengers wouldn’t have the GUTS to push a resolution like this. It is the right thing to do based on the historical record and national interest. These challengers are willing to have our military people go to the meat grinder and die so they look “Tough on Terror” to people who don’t think. And none of the challengers are thinking about doing anything for unemployed people who are desperate, while you are in favor of more federal spending here at home, which will create jobs. YOU ALSO OPPOSE THE TRADE DEALS THAT SEND OUR JOBS TO THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES WHERE THEY PAY 25 CENTS PER HOUR.
That’s why I vote for you. I hope that someone will LIST THE FACTS in this congressional election. If the facts are shared with the public, you will defeat the challengers easily. The only chance any of them have is if the public is not informed of the facts, and the public responds to a slick ad campaign based on “mom and apple pie” rather than policy positions.
I agree with you, Congressman, but isn’t a “flexible timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan” what President Obama announced in February? Is your intention to establish the dates more definitively and/or withdraw more troops? This is from the McClatchy Newspapers on 2/27/10:
Clarification would be appreciated.
I remember when it was the Johnson Administration talking about negotiated withdrawal, then the Nixon Administration talking about negotiated withdrawal from Viet Nam. Talk was expensive. Nixon was no better than Johnson. Finally, after 15 years of losing blood and treasure the plug was pulled, not by the executive branch, but by the Congress. Time to pull the plug again. This time in Afghanistan and Iraq, soon maybe Iran. We went in on the basis of pretense and lies let’s call it quits.
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p>I see where we have lowered ourselves to torturing our own soldiers in a effort to keep down costs. Let those that want the opium fields fight for them without our military.