"Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself."
Martin Luther King Jr.
In Kings book Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? King wrote about our responsibilities in the post civil rights era, more specifically King wrote about what impact the movement might have on our now closer than ever neighbors in our new "global neighborhood." Although I do agree that global neighbors must own up to some responsibility when the oppressed yearn for freedom. When does the costs to ones responsibility to defend those who are oppressed, become too expensive?
According to the Center for Defense Information, the U.S. has spent an estimated 439.8 billion dollars, or 3.6 billion dollars a month since the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan began. If the U.S. was to pull all troops out of Afghanistan it would save the U.S. government 43.2 billion dollars a year.
Oh the possibilities. As the global finical crisis continues to be felt here at home. I can think of many fantastic ways to spend all that cash. One example can be found in projects such as Fast Tracks, a major public transportation project, here in Metro Denver whose estimated budget, of 4.7 million could be covered in the first month of a full withdrawal of troops.
With 15.7 million Americans out of work, a project such as Fast Tracks could have a tremendous impact on local economies by putting people back to work, just as similar projects put Americans back to work in the 1930's.
We as global citizens do have a responsibility to act when the yearning is heard, but I can't recall a time prior to 2001 when the tribal leaders in Afghanistan were yearning for senators and corrupt puppet leaders to free them from their oppression.
Afghanistan is old politics. By this I mean it is the same old tired diplomatic two-step, a severely outdated way of dealing with those who dare to harm us. Gone are the days when we could 'cowboy up' and invade at will, impose our morality, and everyone lives happily ever after. The U.S must learn that terrorism is a state of mind and not a state, and engage these dangerously ballooning social movements as such.
But to manufacture a state like Afghanistan and try to pass it off as legitimate, throw 30,000 more troops, as well as another 500 billion dollars is no longer a acceptable way of conducting international diplomacy.
