"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing"-- Edmund Burke
It seems like every-time that I turn on the news there is some political pundit, politician, academic, or political activist stating no more Troops for Afghanistan, and pull our Troops out now. It must be nice to be able to make statements, with no regard for our Allies, Enemies, National Security Policy, and our own Nation's security.
First off, whether you agree with why we went to War in Afghanistan, the simple fact is we are there now. Which leads to a very important concept. "If you break it, you bought it", sounds like something you would tell your children. But, within International Law and Norms if you invade a country, and unseat their government, you are responsible for rebuilding it. So we, very simply put, have a solemn and legal responsibility to help rebuild the Country of Afghanistan.
Secondly, we have in good faith, in treaties, and in military arrangements given our word to helping the Afghans build and restore their country, military, infrastructure, and government. Do we no longer believe in our word? Do we no longer believe in our honor? We have spilt blood in the same mud alongside these heroic men who have put themselves, and their families in grave danger by siding with us. How can we abandon them? Very simply put, We Can Not!
Third, what about our Allies? Afghanistan is not a US Mission alone. ISAF is a NATO Mission that has in addition to NATO, Non-NATO Countries. Would these people stating we should withdraw and basically cut-and-run also be able to publicly state we should abandon our allies? If we withdraw unilaterally from Afghanistan we will never be able to construct a coalition again, and very well may hurt NATO drastically.
Fourth, what of our National Security Policy, and Policy Statements issued by the Obama Administration? It has been stated over and over again in various forms that we as the United States want to defend freedom, secure our Nation, and to safeguard American interests. How does a withdrawal from Afghanistan accomplish any of those? It doesn't!
Finally, what about the enemies of our Nation? If we withdraw from Afghanistan now, we are not only abandoning the Afghan people, and our Allies; we are allowing the Taliban and Al Qaeda to return and create another safe-haven. By withdrawing we would be causing the further and exponential destabilization of the region, of Afghanistan specifically, and putting our country in great danger.
Basically, what these people are doing by advocating an immediate withdrawal is creating the situation that Edmund Burke describes. By, withdrawing now, we would be enabling a victory by the forces of evil in this world. We can not and must not do that!
God Bless America
Bryan
Stumble It!
