Broken promises.
We were promised that the US and coalition efforts in Afghanistan would bring peace to a land of war and democracy to a land of terrorists, theocrats, and warlords.
And now, after 2,448 American service member deaths and spending over $2 trillion, the Taliban controls Afghanistan and the Acting US Ambassador has fled the $770 million embassy in Kabul (which the Taliban now owns). The Afghan presidential palace is theirs.
We were promised by George W. Bush and his administration that the promotion of democracy – even through military force – would “be a watershed event in the global democratic revolution.” That the United States, through supporting the “growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture,” could end “tyranny in our world.” He said that “the advance of freedom will lead to peace,” that the multi-generational project in Afghanistan was essential “for the sake of our own security.”
We were promised by neo-conservatives that democracy throughout the world would be the pinnacle of man’s social evolution and that this process could be sped-up “with the right application of power and will.”
We were promised by the generals and the national security bureaucracy that progress was being made in Afghanistan. That the Afghan government was a stable and courageous partner.
They all lied.
In reality, the neoconservatives were operating under the foolish assumption that exporting democracy will make a bad world good. (Only God can do that.) The Afghan government was ripping us off. The politicians deceived us about what American sons and daughters were dying for.
And our generals were making knowingly false statements about the status of the war in Afghanistan, a revelation to the public after stellar reporting on The Afghanistan Papers by the Washington Post.
The highlights:
While US Generals said they were making steady progress with training the Afghan army and national police force, “US military trainers described the Afghan security forces as incompetent, unmotivated and rife with deserters.”
“Every data point was altered to present the best picture possible.”
More at link.
Broken promises.
We were promised that the US and coalition efforts in Afghanistan would bring peace to a land of war and democracy to a land of terrorists, theocrats, and warlords.
And now, after 2,448 American service member deaths and spending over $2 trillion, the Taliban controls Afghanistan and the Acting US Ambassador has fled the $770 million embassy in Kabul (which the Taliban now owns). The Afghan presidential palace is theirs.
We were promised by George W. Bush and his administration that the promotion of democracy – even through military force – would “be a watershed event in the global democratic revolution.” That the United States, through supporting the “growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture,” could end “tyranny in our world.” He said that “the advance of freedom will lead to peace,” that the multi-generational project in Afghanistan was essential “for the sake of our own security.”
We were promised by neo-conservatives that democracy throughout the world would be the pinnacle of man’s social evolution and that this process could be sped-up “with the right application of power and will.”
We were promised by the generals and the national security bureaucracy that progress was being made in Afghanistan. That the Afghan government was a stable and courageous partner.
They all lied.
In reality, the neoconservatives were operating under the foolish assumption that exporting democracy will make a bad world good. (Only God can do that.) The Afghan government was ripping us off. The politicians deceived us about what American sons and daughters were dying for.
And our generals were making knowingly false statements about the status of the war in Afghanistan, a revelation to the public after stellar reporting on The Afghanistan Papers by the Washington Post.
The highlights:
While US Generals said they were making steady progress with training the Afghan army and national police force, “US military trainers described the Afghan security forces as incompetent, unmotivated and rife with deserters.”
“Every data point was altered to present the best picture possible.”
More at link.
(post is archived)