Let me state right out that I supported our intervention in Afghanistan (that’s where the terrorists were, right?) but was opposed our military to going into Iraq. Saddam wasn’t a very nice guy, but many other nations are led by bad guys, too. If we are going to rid the world of bad guys, we have a very troubling future ahead of us.
But now, as we note our 8th year of war in Afghanistan, I say, “enough is enough!” It’s too much like Vietnam for me and I don’t know what “winning” in Afghanistan means.
Besides, the war now has gotten very personal. My daughter, a captain in the U.S. Army, is now preparing for deployment in either Iraq or Afghanistan. I have a friend who lost a son to this war. I have seen his pain. I don’t want to have to experience it.
I also worry about how we have trained government officials, particularly the police, in those countries. When I saw this video on YouTube all my fears were confirmed. It is a five minute video of a U.S. military leader talking to Iraqi police officers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOIwl5G9lRo.
If you were one of those Iraqi police officers what would you think? What are the cultural imperatives here? I feel that some stones are about to cry out as this soldier with all his support, armor, vehicles and close air support berates the Iraqis for not being more aggressive in their own country. Will do they really expect we will stay forever in their country? One day we will have to leave, what then? But most important, are these the kind of democratic values we want to export to the world?
The Old Testament prophet, Habakkuk, spoke out about these kinds of things: injustice, plunder, ruin, and oppression:
You've engineered the ruin of your own house.
In ruining others you've ruined yourself.
You've undermined your foundations,
rotted out your own soul.
The bricks of your house will speak up and accuse you.
The woodwork will step forward with evidence. (Habakkuk 2:10-11, From The Message).
Are these not ancient truths? Can we not look at the history of the world (and accounts in our Bible) to remind us that plundering other nations never works out? If we say we follow the “Prince of Peace,” then let us do it – lest the bricks accuse us.
Jesus cited Habakkuk on the day we Christians call Palm Sunday. When the people acclaimed Jesus as reigning over the coming kingdom of God, the religious authorities asked Jesus to rebuke them, but Jesus did not. Instead, quoting Habakkuk, he replied, “If they keep quit, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:37-40, New International Version).
This is how I feel about our intervention into Iraq and Afghanistan. If you and I keep quiet, the bricks in our own walls will accuse us. You and I need to speak out in order to get our country out of there because there is no good ending to forceful oppression.
I know the objections about loss of face and dishonor. But enough is enough. We will never stabilize that country (or any other) by force. If we are serious about helping Iraq and Afghanistan let us do it by sharing both our wealth, our know-how, and by practicing our values. We must stop being Empire; stop trying to control the world by intimidation and force.
When we, as a nation, act like we really care about others around the world rather than controlling them, there is a good chance the rest of the world will come both to respect and emulate.
David, I do think Iraq and Afghanistan are totally different situations. i remember bemoaning at the time of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 that it looked a lot like Vietnam, but no one was agreeing then. The main failing of American intervention has typically been that we don't even try to understand the culture of the countries we expect to "export democracy" to.
ReplyDeleteWhat's that but cultural (and religious) imperialism? While we may at first have had moral authority to get after Al Queda in Afghanistan, I think it is now time to withdraw and think about economic and social aid instead of our military might. It is another sad adventure of the imperial state!
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