You guys know how it works. This should be in the October 22 issue of The Circle. Enjoy:
On October 7, the War in Afghanistan entered its ninth year. Like the Vietnam War, there seems to be no clear mission other than the elimination of the, “bad guys,” that are ideologically opposed to the United States. Considering that Obama is to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and that there is a potential troop increase on the table in Washington, the political climate is ripe for true change.
But will there be any change in the strategy on Afghanistan. Just as General Westmoreland told President Johnson in 1968 that a troop surge in Vietnam would stabilize South Vietnam, General McCrystal is telling President Obama that a troop surge in Afghanistan in 2009 will stabilize the country. We all know what happened
in Vietnam, and I’m afraid of a repeat in Afghanistan.
There are some negative signs that only seem to dictate a negative outcome in Afghanistan. Like fighting the Viet Cong forty years ago, the Taliban are a decentralized military entity that is fighting on territory they are familiar with against troops on their lands. Trying to take out the Taliban hiding in the mountains is nothing short of a logistical nightmare.
Also, the fact remains that the Taliban is not Al Qaida. The US originally sought to take out Al Qaida and its networks but has been preoccupied with the Taliban in Afghanistan for years. Nearly everyone knows now that Al Qaida is predominantly in Pakistan, which is nearing anarchy itself. So, while Al Qaida is operating in Pakistan, the United States continues to keep its attention on nation building in Afghanistan.
The fact also remains that many Afghanis are still quite hostile towards westerners. In some incidents – such as an incident involving a Canadian Air Force Captain – Afghani civilians have attacked military personnel attempting friendly contact. Additionally, if 2009 could tell us anything about the situation in Afghanistan, it would say that violence is at higher levels now than it has been since the war began.
On top of all this, the Afghani government is a joke. The Afghani judiciary is so weak that it is laughable. The Afghani government as a whole is so corrupt that it holds nearly no legitimacy with the Afghani people. This is all very reminiscent of the incredibly fragile, puppet South Vietnamese government. This is not to mention that Afghani President Hamid Karzai has been accused of election fraud from the August presidential election.
With the situation the way it is, and the prospects of a positive change fading with every senselessly violent day in Afghanistan, I as a pacifist call upon President Obama to earn his Nobel Peace Prize. End combat operations in Afghanistan and put an end to the Bush Wars.
Regardless of Obama’s previous actions that caused him to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, he will not earn it until the conflict in Afghanistan is over. It is time to put an end to this war before it truly becomes the modern Vietnam.
-mike
18 October 2009
11 October 2009
Defending President Obama
I wrote this article for The Circle, but (as I always do) I am publishing it here first. I wrote this article from the perspective of an internationalist with special consideration for diplomacy, enjoy:
To the surprise of nearly everyone in the world, President Obama was selected by the Nobel Committee to receive the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Naturally, his selection has raised many questions. His selection was made, however, on sound rhetoric based in the principles of international diplomacy and politics.
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the individual who has done the most for world peace in the previous year. Most notably for Obama, is that he reversed the jingoistic – and at times borderline xenophobic – foreign policy of the previous administration; in doing so, he single handedly changed the attitude of most of the world toward America.
It also must be noted that individuals who promote world peace do not necessarily partake in specific actions. International diplomacy is incredibly formal, most of the attitudes and actions of individual nations are played out through speeches and gestures. In this way Obama’s contribution to peace is seen.
Some of Obama’s first actions as president set the tone for what the Nobel Committee dubbed as, “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” During his inaugural address he stated, “to all those other peoples and governments who are watching today…know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.”
These are strong words for an individual who just took office, that he is ready to help lead the world towards peace. His actions continued over the next few months. First, Obama signed an executive order closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, put an end to torture, and began withdrawing troops from Iraq.
In his first formal interview as president, he spoke with an Arab satellite network reaching out to the Islamic world. He later gave a speech in Cairo reaching out further to nations and peoples who had been so greatly dejected by the previous administration. Additionally, Obama has put pressure on Israel to desist their movement onto Palestinian settlements, refused to support radical right-wing coup leaders in Honduras, and has continued voicing his support for a nuclear free world.
To Obama’s credit, many world leaders have congratulated and shown their support for his award. Simply the list of individuals congratulating him, shows the span of his actions. Obama has been supported by public figures in France, Germany, Russia, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and by IGO’s such as the United Nations, NATO, and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Former recipients of the prize such as Wangari Maathai, Desmond Tutu, Mikhail Gorbachev, Mohamed Elbaradel, Shimon Peres, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, and last year’s recipient Martti Ahtisaari have also expressed their support.
Meanwhile, on the domestic side, opponents of President Obama have been quick to criticize him. Most notably of the dissidents is the RNC chairman Michael Steele who attempted to portray Obama as, “unworthy.” So, while most of the world celebrates Mr. Obama and his strides towards peace, the minority political party in America has to resort to derisive politics. As one Floridian congressman put it, “If Obama somehow ended world hunger, they would try to blame him for overpopulation.”
It is time to put politics aside, because peace is more important that politics. America, your president just won the Nobel Peace Prize, let’s be proud of it.
-mike
To the surprise of nearly everyone in the world, President Obama was selected by the Nobel Committee to receive the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Naturally, his selection has raised many questions. His selection was made, however, on sound rhetoric based in the principles of international diplomacy and politics.
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the individual who has done the most for world peace in the previous year. Most notably for Obama, is that he reversed the jingoistic – and at times borderline xenophobic – foreign policy of the previous administration; in doing so, he single handedly changed the attitude of most of the world toward America.
It also must be noted that individuals who promote world peace do not necessarily partake in specific actions. International diplomacy is incredibly formal, most of the attitudes and actions of individual nations are played out through speeches and gestures. In this way Obama’s contribution to peace is seen.
Some of Obama’s first actions as president set the tone for what the Nobel Committee dubbed as, “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” During his inaugural address he stated, “to all those other peoples and governments who are watching today…know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.”
These are strong words for an individual who just took office, that he is ready to help lead the world towards peace. His actions continued over the next few months. First, Obama signed an executive order closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, put an end to torture, and began withdrawing troops from Iraq.
In his first formal interview as president, he spoke with an Arab satellite network reaching out to the Islamic world. He later gave a speech in Cairo reaching out further to nations and peoples who had been so greatly dejected by the previous administration. Additionally, Obama has put pressure on Israel to desist their movement onto Palestinian settlements, refused to support radical right-wing coup leaders in Honduras, and has continued voicing his support for a nuclear free world.
To Obama’s credit, many world leaders have congratulated and shown their support for his award. Simply the list of individuals congratulating him, shows the span of his actions. Obama has been supported by public figures in France, Germany, Russia, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and by IGO’s such as the United Nations, NATO, and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Former recipients of the prize such as Wangari Maathai, Desmond Tutu, Mikhail Gorbachev, Mohamed Elbaradel, Shimon Peres, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, and last year’s recipient Martti Ahtisaari have also expressed their support.
Meanwhile, on the domestic side, opponents of President Obama have been quick to criticize him. Most notably of the dissidents is the RNC chairman Michael Steele who attempted to portray Obama as, “unworthy.” So, while most of the world celebrates Mr. Obama and his strides towards peace, the minority political party in America has to resort to derisive politics. As one Floridian congressman put it, “If Obama somehow ended world hunger, they would try to blame him for overpopulation.”
It is time to put politics aside, because peace is more important that politics. America, your president just won the Nobel Peace Prize, let’s be proud of it.
-mike
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)