Why the U.S. has to go (out of Afghanistan)

[IndianaGreen]

Why the U.S. has to go

November 10, 2009

WHAT HAS been the impact of the U.S. occupation and its puppet government on women in Afghanistan? Has the U.S. liberated Afghan women as it claimed it would?

FIRST, LET me say that after September 11, the U.S. government threw us from the frying pan into the fire. Over the last eight years, the U.S., under the banner of women's rights and human rights, has occupied my country, and millions of men and women have suffered from injustice, insecurity, corruption, joblessness, poverty, etc.

But women have suffered more--for them, it is almost as if the Taliban was still in power. After the war, the U.S. brought to power these misogynist warlords called the Northern Alliance, who are just like the Taliban. These were the same people who ruled between 1992 and 1996, and they attacked women's rights and human rights.

This time, wearing suits and ties, they have again have come into power with the help of the U.S. That's why today's situation for women is worse, especially in many of the provinces. It is true that in some big cities like Kabul, Mazari Sharif or Herat, you will see that some women have been able to get jobs and an education. But in most of the provinces, women do not even have basic human rights--the situation is like hell.

Today, killing a woman is like killing a bird. Even in big cities, women do not feel secure, and so most of them wear the burqa. I believe that the burqa is a symbol of oppression. Yet women have to wear them just to be safe. So the disgusting burqa today gives life.

Over the last eight years, women in my country have not even regained the limited rights that they enjoyed in the 1960s, '70s and '80s. During that time, women could wear any kind of clothes they wanted to, and they had jobs, they could walk freely on the streets, and they didn't have to worry about being kidnapped or raped.

Then, the warlords attacked women's rights, and the Taliban continued this. The U.S. brought the same misogynist warlords back, and the only difference between the Taliban period and now is that all of these crimes are happening in the name of democracy. The warlord misogynists who are in power cover up, in the name of democracy, countless cases of rape, violence against women, domestic violence, suicide, etc. And these sorts of attacks are increasing rapidly.

http://socialistworker.org/2009/11/10/why-us-has-go

[Ozymanithrax]

1. What would replace the current governt if NATO and the US leaves?

The Soviet backed government in Afghanistan ruled at a time when many countires in the middle east were secular. With the fall of the Shah, the middle east has moved away from secular governments. We backed the destruction of a secular Afghan government allied with the Soviets and replaced it with a religous government. Al Qaeda is a direct result of our destruction of the government in Afghanistan.

From what I see there would be a short, bloody civil and the next government would most likely be the Taliban. Leaving Afghanistan will lead to a lot of death and what little has been done for women will be replaced with the headscarf.

[IndianaGreen]

2. The country is already in civil war, or haven't you taken notice.

And our troops shouldn't be asked to risk life or limb for the sake of an imperialist white man's burden.

[Ozymanithrax]

3. The Civil war in the country will pale next to the murder and death that will happen when we leave.

After the Soviets left there was a purge of everyone who was thought to have worked with them. Read purge as murder. The secular government at the time was replaced with religious governments, as the article covered.

Before we leave we should negotiate a settlement between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance folk. No matter what we do, a religious government will take over and the lives of women will be hell. Our leaving will not bring a government that will allow women any rights at all.

Leaving isn't simple. Should we, as we did in Vietnam, leave those who worked with us to be murdered or become refugees. I don't know whether you remember the boat people who were forced to flee Vietnam. You many not know about more than a hundred thousand that disappeared into re education camps. Of course, the Taliban won't re educate, they will put them to death in accordance with Sharia Law.

Pulling doesn't make things better, it consigns thousands to death. The wore was fought badly from the beginning. Pulling out without a plan just continues the monumental failure of the Bush and the Obama administration.

[ThomThom]

4. We need to stop waging war, killing people and start building

schools, creating jobs and a real government. If we are there doing good things the people will see and turn away from the destructive civil war and authoritarian rule. We need to set an example and help them help themselves create democracy and a fair justice system. We need to get the warlords to lay down their guns. I would suggest we give them money to build infrastructure. An escalation in troops sends the wrong message. We need to go in peace.