- Over 1874 coalition
deaths since 2001:
Americans, Britons, Canadians, Australians, Czech, Estonians, French, Germans,
Hungarians, Italians, Latvian, Norwegians, Poles, Portuguese, Romanians,
Spaniards, and Swedes, among others.
- More than 6773
Americans wounded since
2001.
- In
2008, 2,118 Afghan civilians were killed in armed conflict, a 40% increase over the previous year.
829 of those were killed by US, NATO, and Afghan forces.
- $283.2 billion spent since 2001, including this year’s
supplemental.
- Only
38% of Afghanis have a favorable view of the US as of January 2010, compared to 32% in May 2009.
- Military
leaders agree—there
is no
military solution for Afghanistan.
Talking Points
From United For Peace and
Justice:
Ø
U.S. military spending in Afghanistan supports:
o
Payoffs
to local strongmen and corrupt officials to “protect” our troops.
o
Operation
and construction of military jails holding hundreds of detainees without
charges.
o
Upgrades
to U.S. military bases
already in Afghanistan
and new ones for more troops.
o
Predator
and Reaper drone aircraft, used for air strikes in Afghanistan
and Pakistan
that have already caused thousands of civilian casualties.
o
Special
operations troops who train Afghans for U.S./Afghan death squads.
o
Payments
and Kalashnikov rifles for tribal militias to supplement the U.S. armed forces.
o
Provincial
military reconstruction teams that militarize development and humanitarian aid.
o
The total
cost for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to date has been $864 billion in direct
military spending [CRS], but the true cost has been over $3 trillion
counting future veterans’ benefits, costs to veterans and their families, and
the impact on the U.S. economy [Stiglitz and Blimes, Three Trillion Dollar War, 2008]. This war
is wrong -- only military contractors are raking in gains from it.
Ø Taxpayers cannot afford runaway military
spending on empire-building
wars like those in Iraq and Afghanistan which help only the powerful and
bring nothing but ruin to the people of Iraq,
Afghanistan and the U.S.
We are spending nearly $1 trillion a year on the military and its wars. Since
it is borrowed money, the taxpayers will have to pay it back. The FY09 budget
deficit is now projected to be $1.84 trillion [NY Times, 5/12/09]. With
people losing their jobs, health insurance and homes by the millions, U.S. taxpayers cannot afford to spend money to
fight a senseless war in Afghanistan.
Ø There is no "military solution" in Afghanistan. Obama's advisors agree the war in Afghanistan
"cannot be won on the battlefield”, and military think tanks like the Rand
Corporation agree that political, local law enforcement and peacekeeping
solutions are a more effective alternative to increases in foreign military
force. Yet Pres. Obama has already ordered 21,000 more troops, which will only
expand 7 years of failed U.S.
strategy in Afghanistan.
Afghan security must be led by Afghans.
Ø Afghanistan has been the training ground for U.S. torture. The torture of detainees by the U.S. did not originate at Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo.
These practices were exported from Bagram Air Base
and other military prisons in Afghanistan.
More military activity will mean more detentions, even while there is no policy
to process the 600 currently held without charges at Bagram.
Ø Americans, Europeans and Afghans are wary of
foreign military escalation that will cost many lives. At least 18,000 Afghans have been killed since
the U.S.
invasion and tens of thousands of innocent people have been injured. Civilian
casualties foster resentment among Afghans and distrust of their own government
and U.S.
forces. The reported death of 140 civilians May 4 in Farah province, Afghanistan by U.S. air strikes is only the latest
of many outrages. Nearly 1,100 U.S.
and “coalition” troops have been killed in Afghanistan since the 2001
invasion. Only 32% of Afghans think U.S. forces are doing a good job
there, and 25% think attacks on them are justified. A majority of Europeans
want their troops to return from this disastrous NATO mission.
From CODEPINK
Ø Occupation destroyed Afghan public services
and created incredible poverty, a perfect void of power ready to be filled by
the Taliban (encouraged by the U.S.
to counter Soviet influence).
Ø Increased troop presence will raise the risk
as it further incites the Taliban and al-Qaeda and inspires more of their
propaganda; as they strengthen, they further destabilize the country, spark
many more to live in constant fear or to join the insurgency.
Ø Troops cannot defeat an ideology: a RAND
Corporation study last year found that only seven percent of terrorist
organizations gave up their violent activities as a result of military defeat.
United for Peace and
Justice’s “Peaceful
Alternatives”-
Surge Peaceful Alternatives, not Troops!
The US
and its allies have failed to bring stability to Afghanistan, but not because there
aren’t enough troops. We have never really tried peace. US policy has
helped violence and corruption to soar. Now misplaced hope in military
solutions is pushing peaceful strategies to the back burner.
After 8 years of
U.S.-led war, Afghans still lack jobs, clean water, food, electricity, health
care, and schools. The many people working hard for peace with justice in their
country deserve our support. Where is it?
Transform the
mission. Afghanistan won’t begin to stabilize until Afghan needs,
defined by Afghans, surge to the top of the international agenda. The US military’s “counter-terrorism” mission since
9/11 has trumped protection of the people, despite al Qaeda’s minor role in Afghanistan.
Non-military aid likewise has put American special interests first. We must
re-orient US
policy to act on Afghans’ behalf.
Surge
pressure for governance reform and justice. Afghans
say their top problems are government corruption, lack of judicial redress, and
missing public services. US and NATO forces work with corrupt officials and
hire local warlords to “protect the troops.” As chaos spirals, local support
for the hated Taliban grows because at least they promise order – their way.
The US
must pressure President Karzai to replace egregious
offenders with competent, honest people. Support the Reconciliation and
Transitional Justice Plan. Push for an independent international commission to
investigate and press grievances.
Surge real
democracy and drop US support for shams. The US
betrayed Afghans’ hopes for representative government with sham “democracy.”
The upcoming August 2009 elections must be transparent and better monitored;
war criminals must be barred from running. Prevent intimidation of women in
public life, which deprives the nation of their talent, vision, and ardor for
peace.
Surge development
aid, but make it count and have Afghans lead. Priorities are way out of whack. While pouring
$100 million a day into military operations, the US has
delivered only half its pledged $10.4 billion in humanitarian and development
aid. And most of this has been wasted on ill-conceived projects, pricey
consultants, and crony contractors. Congress must change the law that requires
USAID to give most contracts to US companies. Fund small-scale cooperative
efforts defined by communities, for education, jobs, new skills, and
self-sufficiency. End “provincial reconstruction teams” which can’t deliver on
these needs and undermine the work of legitimate NGOs by militarizing aid.
Surge diplomacy,
but not by negotiating away Afghans’ future or excluding women from the table. Peace talks must be transparent and led by
widely respected male and female Afghans, not manipulated by foreigners. No
more deals with warlords. No sellout of Afghans’ rights for supposed stability.
Launch a diplomatic effort with all regional players, including Russia, Iran,
India, Pakistan, and
Central Asian states.
If we want our
troops home, America’s
failed approach in Afghanistan
must be transformed with bold, peaceful solutions that haven’t yet been given a
chance.
Latest News
Ø
U.S.
says Afghan strikes broke rules, orders retraining (June 20, 2009)
Ø
One
out of four refugees in the world is from Afghanistan (June 16, 2009)
Ø
How
Afghanistan’s little tragedies are adding up (May 26, 2009)
Ø
Afghan people 'losing
confidence' (February 9, 2009)
Ø
French
army chief rules out military victory in Afghanistan (Oct 8, 2008)
Analysis/Opinion Pieces
Ø
The Case for U.S.
Withdrawal From Afghanistan, Foreign Policy in Focus, Sameer Dossani
(November 10, 2008)
Ø
The Afghan Rubix Cube, Foreign Policy in Focus, Conn Hallinan (April 2,
2009)
Ø
The AfPak
Paradox, Foreign Policy in Focus, John Prados
(April 2, 2009)
Ø
Why
We’ve Paid a Terrible Price for the War in Afghanistan, Mirror.co.uk (June
21, 2009)
Ø
Rethink
the Afghanistan surge, Christian Science Monitor, Eric T. Olson
(March 17, 2009)
Ø
Shame:
The ‘Anti-War’ Democrats Who Sold Out, Alternet,
Jeremy Scahill (June 17, 2009)
Ø
Foreign
Policy Goes Local, Foreign Policy in Focus, Karen Dolan (January 31,
2008)
Ø
Afghanistan
Policy Outlook 2009, Foreign Policy in Focus, Erik Leaver (March 12,
2009)
Ø
Afghanistan: Losing a
No-Win War, truthout, Steve Weissman (February 5, 2009)
Ø
Obama
in Egypt: Changing the Discourse, Common Dreams, Phyllis Bennis
(June 4, 2009)
Ø
Planning
for Failure in Afghanistan, Foreign Policy in Focus, Sam Gardiner
and Erik Leaver (March 30, 2009)
Ø
President
Obama Has Things Backward in Afghanistan, The Progressive, Phyllis
Bennis and Farrah Hassen (March 6, 2009)
