Remember peace talks with the Communist North Vietnamese? Instead of continuing to bomb the hell out of the north we talked peace: We wanted an honorable outlet. Instead of honor our retreat ended up on the roof of the American embassy in Saigon, desperately shuttling out the last of the Americans and a very few lucky South Vietnamese. How many South Vietnamese fell later when the north invaded with a wrath I don't know. Then there's the remaining Americans "Missing in Action." Oh yes, and the 58,220 Americans Killed over there, not to mention the uncounted wounded, maimed, and how many still with PTSD?
So, really, where was the honor in those peace talks?
Sorry to bring up that very unpopular war, folks, but we--possibly--are about to do the same thing in Afghanistan. We are encouraging the Afghan President, Hamid Karsai, to talk peace with the Taliban. Meanwhile, in 2014 the remaining American troops are scheduled to be gone (and, by recent talks, earlier still.) The so-called light footprint. (Not sure what's meant by "light footprint.") How many soldiers are we leaving behind for continued training, etc., I don't know. Probably not many, and will that number be large enough to even defend themselves, should the Taliban decide to mount a human wave assault? I'm pretty sure a huge percentage of Americans want "all" our military personnel out of that ungodly country and home again.
You know what? So do I. Every time I hear about more Americans getting killed over there...well, it's heartbreaking. So, yes, I want all our soldiers home too.
But here's the thing, folks, the moment we are gone--peace talks agreements be damned--the moment America "runs" again, the Taliban will come screaming back over that border from Pakistan. Our retreat will probably be more orderly this time. The last helicopter probably won't have to leave from the roof. But the Afghan people...what of them? It's pretty likely that the Taliban will have a long list of every Afghan man who has helped the Americans and her allies. Those men will be killed first. And then, what remains of the Afghan men will probably be glad to see the Taliban return and restore order.
"Restore order?"
Yes, the Afghan women have been getting away with...well, for lack of a better word, Murder! They've been going to school, becoming police and military, even getting voted in to office. I can only think of little 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai who got shot in the head by a Taliban assassin while she rode home in a bus from school, for refusing to abandon her campaign for girls' education, basically for speaking out against the Taliban. (And this happened in Pakistan, not Afghanistan.) For the time being I believe she is still safe in England. But what of all the other women and girls who have believed they finally could have rights thanks to the Americans kicking out the Taliban?
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| This photo has nothing to do with the post, but it does show a peaceful scene in our world. |
More about honor.
So far, over 2000 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan, and 18,000 wounded/maimed. What about some honor for them, for their sacrifice. In the newspaper of January 12, 2013, The Forum, Fargo, North Dakota, there appeared a story about Clinton Romesha, former staff sergeant, now home at Minot, ND, after 12 years of military service. On February 12, 2013, he will receive the Medal of Honor for courageous actions in Afghanistan. An honor indeed, and he earned it.
But still, if we cut and run from Afghanistan like we did from Vietnam then where is the honor?
America should not have to police the whole world, I agree, and bail out every country where the people do not have human rights. Others have said it before so I needn't say it again, but I will anyway. Who do you "want" to police the world? Russia? China? The European Union...well, no, the European Union probably couldn't. Other than the United Kingdom I don't put much stock in the European Union. (Most of those countries have long since had their fill of war.) But Russia and China? Yes! In a minute! They would love to see America fail again.
To step back, the "Domino Theory" did not happen in Vietnam. Southeast Asia did not fall to the communists. After defeating South Vietnam and changing Saigon's name to Ho Chi Minh City, and calling the two countries just Vietnam, the bad guys stopped marching. Today there's even some freedom in Vietnam. Soon I hear we will also become trading partners.
What happened in Vietnam was a matter of ideology. What "will" happen in Afghanistan will be the much more radical and dangerous matter, of very hardcore strict religion. When Afghanistan is again under Taliban control, and at least part of Pakistan is already, how long till the rest of Pakistan "also" falls to the Taliban? Remember, Pakistan has nuclear weapons.
Let's look at the "Domino Theory" again.
Syrian rebels are getting closer to taking over the country. There are many factions fighting there. Some are Al Qaeda-related. Egypt has been taken over by the Muslim Brotherhood and Sharia (Islamic Law) has been written into their new constitution. Iraq we don't hear much about. Is it growing in stability? Somehow I doubt it. Iran? I don't even need to mention how "they" feel about us. Saudi Arabia, yes, a friend right now, at least the sheikhs are, but most of her people? I doubt it. Yemen? Libya? The horn of Africa and the countries in the African Sahel? Al Qaeda and radical Islam is spreading throughout the Middle East and northern Africa.
Remember, the Arab world was once a world power.
We have one chance to try stopping it, and that is to stay in Afghanistan for the duration. However long it takes...as terrorism will be with us for a long, long, time.
A footnote: Syria/Gun control in the US
Syrian civilians are not allowed to have guns, so in order for the Syrian civilian to fight for their freedom and attain a gun, a Syrian soldier (a countryman) had to die, so the freedom fighter could have "his" gun.
Nothing like this is ever expected to happen in America, but I suspect Bashar Al Assad thought it would never happen in Syria either.
I can only think of the 1987 ABC TV miniseries, "Amerika" where the "K" was backwards. The film depicted a demoralized America ten years after a Russian/UN takeover. There was a weak resistance. I remember the only battle where the "controlled" American military pretty much mowed down the American resistance as they tried to take over a TV station or some kind of communication building.
The bottom line: "Peace on earth" is still pretty much a pipe dream.
Thanks for reading
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