The Obama administration faces some big risks in the impending escalation of the war in Afghanistan: soldiers are asked to ‘clear huge areas of insurgent fighters who look exactly like the civilian population, and establish “control” of places that have never been controlled by a central government at any point in their history,’ and driving the Taliban out of Afghanistan will push them to nuclearized Pakistan.
To justify the risks and expedite the desired end of an already overdrawn war, ‘the proponents of the escalation need highly persuasive arguments to show how their strategy will outweigh the dangers.’ Here are three reasons:
More foreign troops in Afghanistan will destroy al-Qaeda military bases in Afghanistan. This has to be done posthaste or the US will deal with another 9/11. This feeds on the myth that jihadi attacks against Western countries were hatched in Afghanistan, instead of the fact that the attacks were planned in those Western countries themselves. al-Qaeda has greatly diminished in number in Afghanistan. On the other hand, the insurgency of the Taliban is an entirely different thing. A Boston Globe report states that ‘90 per cent of them are “a tribal, localised insurgency” who “see themselves as opposing the US because it is an occupying power”. They have “no goals” beyond Afghanistan’s borders.’
Through its developmental presence that helps in nation-building, the US in Afghanistan will significantly improve Afghan human rights, especially womens’ rights, in the face of the harsh fundamentalist culture of the Taliban. Fact is both the fundamentalist regime of the Taliban and the alternative fundamentalist regime of the warlords enforce the Sharia law that is cruel to women.
A US withdrawal from Afghanistan will be construed as a great victory for the al-Qaeda. The victory will reenergize the terror group that will, in turn, use it as an effective propaganda motivation for recruitment across the globe. Fact is it takes logistics to recruit. Mere perception and euphoria will not be enough to physically recruit and train across the globe. The al-Qaeda, at the moment, is suffering from low funds.
On the other hand, US presence in Afghanistan only further fuels jihadism.
Via counterpunch
