Afghanistan

** Afghanistan **

FURTHER INCITE ALREADY RAMPANT ANTI-AMERICANISM - These kinds of operations can easily incite even further anti-Americanism, and cripple our efforts. SINCE PAKISTAN IS A NUCLEAR WEAPONS STATE, WE CANNOT INVADE AND OCCUPY to cleanse it of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. WE NEED TO GET PAKISTANIS TO WORK WITH US IN ORDER TO FINISH THE JOB AND GET RID OF THE TALIBAN AND AL-QAEDA- There is no unilateral American solution to the problem of these sanctuaries in Pakistan. Their full allegiance is far less likely if we are attacking within their borders without their permission. WORK WITH THE CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT AND INCREASE OUR ASSISTANCE -To reverse the distrust and the lack of faith in America that has accumulated, we should work with the civilian government, show them we want democracy in Pakistan, and increase our assistance to Pakistan, especially in economic areas as Sen. Joseph Biden proposed. Increase military aid but link conditions to the funding; HELP ESTABLISH A RECOGNIZED INTERNATIONAL BORDER BETWEEN AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN - If we want Pakistan to enforce border controls and to guard its border to prevent infiltration, a good first step would be to have that border become a real international border. Putting pressure on Afghanistan to accept the border with Pakistan imposed in 1893 (but never accepted) would also be helpful to Pakistan's diplomatic needs and improve U.S. standing with Pakistan further. TRAIN PAKISTANI OFFICERS ON COUNTERTERRORISM TACTICS PUBLICLY DECLARE INTENTION TO STAY OUT OF REGION IN THE LONG TERM ** Afghanistan — Country Briefing ** Borders on China, Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan , Pakistan and Iran. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks America, Afghanistan became ground zero in America's war on terror. The U.S. launched a bombing campaign to support an alliance of tribal militias to force Taliban from power and to track down Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda terrorist group. US coalition & NATO face enormous challenges to maintain security and resurrect stability, with a few reasons being: •  It's one of the world's weakest economies, •  the overall lack of food availability, •  harsh environment, •  farmers hindered by the fact that so much of the land in Afghanistan is plagued by landmines and unexploded ordinance, •  and a resurgent Taliban insurgency that appears to be adopting tactics from Iraqi insurgents. 60% of the country's GDP comes from drug trade. Afghanistan produces over 90% of world's opium, used to produce heroin. Afghanistan is also a source country for women and children trafficked internally and to Iran, Pakistan , and Saudi Arabia for forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. The number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan has grown from fewer than 21,000 two years ago to more than 31,000 today AND the United States may deploy more troops in Afghanistan in early 2009, according to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. i) **The invasion and occupation of** ** Afghanistan **** fails to satisfy the legal and moral criteria for a good - a just - war for several reasons. ** •   First, **neither the Taliban nor the Afghan people attacked the** ** United States **** . ** Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda allegedly did, both of whom, incidentally, were financed and trained by the CIA.    •   Citizens of a nation do not forfeit their right **of territorial integrity and political sovereignty, nor**   become liable to be targeted and killed, because of the actions of a relatively few who train and strategize from remote areas within their national boundaries.   •   ** Civilians are being killed in increasing numbers ** by NATO forces. Nearly 1,445 Afghan civilians were killed from January to August 2008 (an increase of over 39 percent from the same time period last year). Consequently, warfare in Afghanistan violates the necessary criterion, the moral and legal requirement, of noncombatant immunity.   •   Fourth, the United States is not empowered to bomb or conduct military incursions within the borders - to violate the territorial integrity - of a sovereign nation to pursue those they deem terrorists without the permission, or against the will, of its legitimate government.   ** 2 ) **** Afghanistan **** Is Not in Our National Interest ** An analysis of the state of our military, of our economy and of conditions on the ground in Afghanistan clearly establishes that continuing the occupation and escalation of the war is not in our national interest. •  Before resigning as chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace conducted a review of our nation's total combat readiness and concluded that after **years of combat operations in** ** Iraq **** and ****Afghanistan ****, there has been an overall decline in our military readiness. **That is, our military is stretched to its breaking point. //Were our nation confronted with another crisis, our military would be incapable of responding effectively. // (3)   •   ** Without reinstituting the draft, ** continued occupation and escalation would require a continuation of the unacceptable Iraq war practices of multiple deployments of exhausted troops with inadequate down time, stop-loss measures and the continued federalization of the National Guard. Such violations of the fairness principle of shared sacrifice would further exacerbate war's impact upon members of our military. That is, besides the obvious increase in deaths and injuries, the frequency and severity of psychological casualties, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide in our returning veterans would increase dramatically. •  Third, with **the cost of the war on terrorism expected to exceed $3 trillion (4) and our economy teetering on the verge of collapse, continuing the occupation and escalating the** **war in ****Afghanistan **** would be economic suicide **and playing into the hands of the terrorists. Efforts to stabilize and rebuild the war-torn country would have to be a "marathon rather than a sprint". - Not a long-term military presence, but a long-term development presence, because this country does matter to us and to the region in so many ways. U.S. President George W. Bush met with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai recently and stated that "the United States is committed to the people of Afghanistan . We will stand by your side and do the hard work necessary to achieve our objective. **Our objective is for you to become a thriving democracy and to deny al-Qaida and other extremists a safe haven or a base from which to launch their** ** murderous attacks." ** In response, Karzai said, thanks to U.S. help in the past six or seven years, **"** ** Afghanistan **** has made progress that we would have not been able to make in 50 years or 60 years." ** Therefore, **1) We will be abandoning our promise and our responsibility to avenge 9/11 if we** ** abandon the fight against AI-Qaeda and the efforts to rebuild **** Afghanistan **** . ** // With no end yet in sight it is understandable that some commentators are now suggesting //// that we should get out. YET: // •   Large parts of the country are much more stable, with international support helping build the foundations of democracy and enabling thousands of children to go to school again. Withdrawal would put this vital success at risk.    •   Afghanistan also remains dreadfully poor;    •   women still face appalling discrimination and    •   most of the heroin that ends up on UK and US streets comes from Helmand poppy fields.   So **1) we have a national interest in helping the Afghan government** to tackle these issues as well as 2) **a humanitarian responsibility to help** the country build a sustainable future.
 * Alternative solutions: **
 * With an interim government in place, Afghanistan has begun to build the foundations of an infrastructure. **
 * ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE WAR IN **** AFGHANISTAN **** (from Truthout.org) **
 * Osama bin Laden writes: **
 * //"All that we have to do is to send two mujahedeen to the farthest point east to raise apiece of cloth on which is written al-Qaeda, in order to make generals race //****//there to cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses without their achieving anything of note other than some benefits for their private //****//corporations //****... //We are continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy. Allah willing, and nothing is too great for Allah."// **
 * AGURMENTS IN FAVOR OF THE WAR IN **** AFGHANISTAN **
 * Leaves Afghan people to suffer repression under a terrorist regime they hate and fear **
 * once again (reference back to **** Afghanistan **** Country Briefing to illustrate how shitty it is **
 * there) **
 * effects our interests abroad, **
 * our image as a nation, **
 * and obviously our own national security. **