After years of conflict, some wonder if the United States should be fighting a war or building a nation in Afghanistan.
John Lee Anderson, a journalist who has been visiting Afghanistan for more than 20 years, offered his opinion during a lecture on Nov. 17 at Rockhurst University.
Anderson said the United States should both fight a war and build a nation in Afghanistan.
According to Anderson, U.S. policy has created many of the country's problems. He said the U.S. has humiliated Afghans by hiring contractors to rebuild Afghanistan's infrastructure instead of teaching Afghans how to, as well as costing millions of dollars.
"Eighty-six percent of American aid in Afghanistan has had no local impact," Anderson said.
He added that the U.S. military power needed to be reduced to build a nation because the military presence there is breeding contempt.
Anderson said it requires hearts and minds to build a nation, and the military is simply trained to kill.
"Can we not send the Peace Corps?" he asked.
It is now estimated there are only 100 members of Al Qaeda remaining, yet there are approximately 62,000 U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan and more being called upon, Anderson noted. It is estimated the number of American troops will climb to 108,000 by 2010.
Anderson wonders if we are still fighting the good fight President Barack Obama promised.
He said the situation has deteriorated in the past two years.
Going further, he believes the U.S. policy toward Afghanistan has assisted the country in becoming ranked the second most corrupt country in the world next to Somalia.
"We have not allowed this country to become sovereign," Anderson said.
Anderson is a writer for The New Yorker and has written many books including best-seller "The Fall of Baghdad" in 2005.
kkates@unews.com
