Deja Vu All Over Again by Steve Hansen
Are we, as a Nation, really on the verge of giving up on the chances of winning in Afghanistan? Is the idea of not increasing troop levels, or worse, pulling out and leaving an unprepared Afghan government to fend for themselves really an option?
A Brief Bit of Afghan History
On December 24, 1979, the Russian military overthrew the government of Afghanistan and began an occupation of the country. In the early 1980′s, the United States and others (including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the People’s Republic of China), began supporting the mujahideen with financial, weapons and training assistance. Arabs from other Muslim countries, known as “Afghan Arabs” joined the resistance. One of the groups was led by a young Saudi named Osama bin Laden, and his group became al-Qaeda.
In early 1989, the USSR withdrew its troops from Afghanistan. Subsequently, the US and other nations stopped supporting the mujahideen, leaving behind a power vacuum that was filled by an assortment of tribal warlords, throwing the country in chaos that ultimately led to the rise and rule of the Taliban. When the Soviet Union eventually fell, Osama bin Laden claimed that it was caused by the success of the mujahideen and that “the US had no mentionable role.”
The Long Term Effects
The Soviet War in Afghanistan had several major geo-political side effects:
- The formation of al-Qaeda
- Osama bin Laden blames the US for abandoning the Afghan rebels
- The US trained, and spent money on, a group that would eventually become a significant enemy to the US, and democracy in general
- Further degraded the impression many in the Middle East had of the United States
So what went wrong? We got involved in a war with the understanding that we would support one side and left them before order had been fully restored. And we’re on the verge of doing it again…
Worse, still, is that we may be doing the same thing not only in Afghanistan, but in Iraq. The risk of an overthrow of the government of Iraq by, oh, I don’t know, Iran, has always been at risk. Remember, we supported Saddam Hussein against Iran in the 1980′s, when he used weapons like Mustard Gas, against, not only the Iranians, but his own people who spoke out against him. Being involved in anything in the Middle East requires a commitment that the fickle winds of popular opinion cannot and will not endure. I used to believe we were doing the right thing. Now I pity not only those we have “helped,” but those who were hoping we’d help them next. But if we won’t defend our own freedoms here at home, how can we hope to do so there?