America’s Afghanistan Odyssey: When will Enough be Enough? (Stevenson)

[unhappycamper]

http://www.juancole.com/2012/12/americas-afghanistan-odyssey-when-will-enough-be-enough-stevenson.html

America’s Afghanistan Odyssey: When will Enough be Enough? (Stevenson)
Posted on 12/13/2012 by Juan

The US has been involved, covertly or openly, in military actions in Afghanistan since 1979, with no end in sight. Nor, after all these decades, is the news very good. A Taliban assassination attempt has put Afghanistan’s chief intelligence and security official in the hospital. A recent Pentagon review found that only one of the Afghanistan National Army’s 23 brigades can conduct operations independently of NATO. Violence is higher now than in 2009 before the “surge” ordered by President Barack Obama. And the Obama administration is negotiating for a 6,000 to 9,000-strong US troop presence in the country after the bulk of the American military withdraws by the end of 2014.

How long is long enough for this mission in a country that is not even as important to US security as the Congo?

Christmas Eve 1979. The Russians— the enemy America loved to hate— invaded Afghanistan. Jimmy Carter’s troubled presidency had one year remaining. President Carter signed a “presidential finding” authorizing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to jump from intelligence gathering to an “operational” role in Afghanistan.

President Reagan reauthorized the Carter finding in 1981. Thus began 32 years of U.S. involvement in a belligerency in Afghanistan. The presidential finding authorized the CIA to ship weapons and other war materiel to the guerrillas and warlords who were willing to fight the Russians. Because America lacked direct access to Russian occupied Afghanistan and because the U.S. wanted to hide its involvement, American aid had to be delivered through Pakistan. The Pakistani military intelligence service (ISI) had extensive knowledge of Afghanistan, and the ISI routed the deliveries to the Afghan guerrillas.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

1. If the Taliban offered to turn over Osama Bin Laden, but only asked for evidence of his guilt, why

did we invade Afghanistan?

If the war in Afghanistan is an optional war, and if we replaced one President (R) with another (D) because we were dissatisfied with the first President's war policy and wanted a change, why aren't more Senators and Representatives demanding change? How does having a big "D" after his name immunize President Obama for his war policies?

If Osama Bin Laden is now dead, why are we still there?

How many more lives and billions are going to be squandered?