Thus some observers believed there was a very slim possibility of a large overhaul in America’s attitude toward its foreign policy, especially towards the Muslim world after Obama’s election. The gilded speeches he delivered in Ankara and Cairo became mere rhetoric. Extending an olive branch to the Muslim world on the one hand while continuing to invade Afghanistan and corner Iran on the other hand failed to convince anyone.America is trying to withdraw its troops from Iraq, but this does not mean it will leave Iraq alone or give up its hegemonic plans over the Muslim world. It is now becoming evident that the observers, among which the writer of this article is included, were right.
News in the media shows the Obama administration has a new strategy that was created after an approximately three-month-long preliminary study. According to this new strategy, America is getting ready to send an additional 30,000 soldiers to Afghanistan. The strategy aims to ensure the safety of settlement units, the defeat of the Taliban, the return of clans to their areas, providing job opportunities for Taliban members who give up their arms and training Afghan security sources to make the national army an institutional power. It is for this reason that US officials are not content with the current military strength and want NATO member countries to deploy an additional 10,000 troops as well, which will increase the total number of additional troops deployed to 40,000. The plan is to complete the gradual military buildup within six months. The US currently has 71,000 troops in Afghanistan.
Although the operation has come at a heavy price, it is obvious that the US and NATO have not achieved much success in Afghanistan. Aside from some media organizations that function like propaganda mechanisms, neutral observers indicate that the Taliban is becoming increasingly strong and winning more support from the society in Afghanistan.
The obligation of Pakistan to launch a war against Afghans due to US persuasion and compulsion has caused a surge in American and NATO opposition among Asian Muslims. This opposition does not stay confined to America and NATO but ultimately evolves into an opposition to the West over these two actors. It is not difficult to guess the danger this poses to global peace in a world where ties are intertwined.
The occupation of Afghanistan and the conflict between the Pakistanis and the Afghans are not the only reasons for the increasing opposition to America and NATO; it is also the killing of high numbers of innocent civilians by American and NATO forces.
If a bullet were to be shot at American forces from a village, soldiers would not hesitate to destroy the entire village. Wedding parties, hospitals, shopping areas and madrasahs are being bombed and innocent people are being killed, and this causes hostility to increase.
There is a simple truth that American and NATO officials need to know. Recent history has clearly taught us that the Afghans will never come to heel and never raise a white flag. America is trying to walk down an entirely wrong road. It will not be easy to keep a political party that won power in an election riddled with fraud standing and to restructure the police and army by using the American model, which is completely foreign to the Afghan society’s historical fabric, as a reference. There is nothing comparable to this project in the heart and history of the Afghan people.
Every rational person believes Obama needs to pay attention to what the famous American filmmaker Michael Moore said: Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires.
Just as the US had to leave Vietnam -- where it maliciously fought for 12 years -- after causing the Vietnamese to pay unfairly heavy costs, it will eventually have to leave Afghanistan as well. Every prudent American that has a heart must work much harder to prevent their leaders and the lobbies that encourage war from continuing this meaningless, destructive and barbarous war so that no more innocent Afghans are killed.
