Mixed Messages in America's Foreign Policy

Even as a private in the United States Marine Corps, I began to question the reasons that compel my country to send its young men, including myself, to risk life and limb in a needless conflict.

In October 3, 2007, I asked of these mixed messages:

Why do we expect trained killers, like myself, to enforce peace with the barrel of a gun pointed at those we claim to be fighting for?

The monster that is Saddam Hussein, the product of our interventionist policies, has been toppled and captured. Yet we insist in “staying the course.” How much longer?

It is troubling: that nearly four years later I find myself still asking these questions of not only Iraq, but Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and now Libya as well (not to mention our covert wars in over 120 countries);

That I am asking these questions under a Nobel Peace Prize-winning president who promised to end the war in Iraq;

That we are extending our presence in a “pacified Iraq” nearly a year after the war “ended” there;

That we are “withdrawing” from Afghanistan with an increase in troops;

That we are liberating Libya with bombs and leading the deposal of its dictator without ever being at war with them;

That our interventionist actions in Libya, which so mirrors that of our actions in Iran half a century ago, is being touted as a success and a new era of foreign policy;

And that we are providing material support to the very same Islamists we are fighting against in Iraq and Afghanistan.

When confronted with these contradictions, it would be a mistake to conclude (as I did) that the message had been rendered obscure. That the lofty rhetoric of peace and liberty were merely lost in war’s misguidance. It is now clear that the message was never mixed, but had always been a travesty of the bloodstained truth: we must suffer perpetual war.

25 Tons of Bombs Wipe Afghan Town Off Map in October

A small town in Afghanistan became so "overrun with Taliban insurgents" that the American military decided its only option was to do this:

The good:  The villagers had already evacuated the town, so there weren't civilian casualties, though it is unclear how the unit involved "can be so confident they didn’t accidentally kill civilians after subjecting Tarok Kolache to nearly 25 tons worth of bombs and rockets. The rockets alone have a blast radius of about 50 meters [164 feet], so the potential for hitting bystanders is high with every strike."  Indeed, the commander involved did not bother to sweep the village for stragglers before dropping the bombs.

The bad:  Even if the villagers had already left the town, they still lost all their houses and possessions.  Indeed, "the villagers understood that the United States needed to destroy their homes — except when they don’t. One villager 'in a fit of theatrics had accused [the commander responsible] of ruining his life after the demolition.'  An adviser to Hamid Karzai said that the [American unit] 'caused unreasonable damage to homes and orchards and displaced a number of people.'"  Worse yet, though the villagers are supposed to be compensated for their losses and their village reconstructed,  "so far the reconstruction has barely begun, three months after the destruction."

The ugly:  “Sure they are pissed about the loss of their mud huts,” a Petraeus biographer pettily wrote on Facebook, “but that is why the [reconstruction] story is important here.”  Oh yeah, the fact that people are understandably upset that thousands of pounds of bombs immolated their entire town is exactly why we should instead honor the US government's lackadaisical and inadequate attempts to make up for the damage.  Riiight.

Is our new foreign policy to actively avoid the moral high ground instead of sometimes failing to reach it?  As Ron Paul has put it, "It is said we go about the world waging war to promote peace, and yet the price paid is rarely weighed against the failed efforts to make the world a better place."

Originally posted here.

Veterans Rally for the "Right to Heal"

Check out this video of an interview with an antiwar activist from Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), which includes in its mission support for "Full benefits, adequate healthcare (including mental health), and other supports for returning servicemen and women."

In fact, IVAW has just launched Operation Recovery:

Thousands of troops are being sent to war despite suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and Military Sexual Trauma (MST).  Many of us within IVAW have faced or are currently facing deployment as we try to recover from the severe trauma we have already experienced.

While we recognize that we must stop the deployment of all soldiers in order to end the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, we see the deployment of soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injuries, and Military Sexual Trauma as particularly cruel, inhumane, and dangerous. Military commanders across all branches are pushing service members far past human limits for the sake of 'combat readiness.'  We cannot allow those commanders to continue to ignore the welfare of their troops who are, after all, human beings.

There is a problem, a basic right is being denied, and we will organize to get it back.

This issue affects all of us. Everyone needs to recognize that the improper standards of care in the military and VA are harming our brothers and sisters, our nation, and only furthers the cycle of dehumanization and destruction of these wars.

This campaign will focus on ending the deployment of one traumatized service member for every five deployed total.  This change would also reduce the ability of our government to engage in endless war that perpetuates the unhealthy state of our troops.

Learn more here.

Pre-War Afghanistan

Pre-war with the Soviet Union, that is.  As you noted, Jeremy, invasions of Afghanistan don't turn out well for the Afghan people, and 40 years ago it was no different.  Here are remarkable photos of 1960s Afghanistan -- photos which depict a country which doesn't look so different from the way ours did at the time.  Check out some of the images below, and click here for more pictures and background on the way Afghanistan used to be.

University students -- male and female alike -- study biology in Kabul.