Post by artraveler on Sept 8, 2021 16:35:37 GMT -8
Twenty Years
In a few days, it will be twenty years since the attack on 11 September 2001. In that time Americans have again gone to war against an enemy that many Americans do not want to call enemy. Not because they don’t abhor the action of the people who murdered 3000 Americans, but political correctness and the effort to appear more virtuous has made murky a clear vision of who the enemy truly is.
Our enemy postures as a religion, but in truth it is an extreme form of tyranny calling itself religion. It is the opposite of everything we define as Western values. In many ways it is the same enemy we have been fighting for thousands of years. The enemy is clever, dedicated, and resourceful, so are we. However, the enemy knows the goal of their bombings, murders, and torturing.
It is a strength and a weakness of our common culture that we are challenged to cast judgement on an entire group of people. The very essence of Western philosophy is objectivity to judge people and their actions without bias. In this respect we encourage individuality and creativeness. However, it also blinds us to deception from the enemy. Our enemy seeks to twist our principles and force us to reflect that perhaps the enemy is sensible and open to dialog and debate, they are not.
Over the last month our government has withdrawn from “the graveyard of empires” Afghanistan. We called it a war, but the national interest was solved with elimination of the Taliban government by the spring of 2002, so the actual war was short lived. The following nineteen years are the nation building stage. The goal of sending American troops was accomplished. And, then the goal changed. The thought was to prevent a repetition we must “nation build” in a country that has never been a nation. A country of tribal leaders, whose only common interests was their tyrannical religion and a haltered of foreigners.
America and our western allies sought to bring stability to this wasteland. To gift the Afghan people with consensual government, individuality, and economic freedom. No one cared or thought to ask the Afghans what they wanted. It was hubris of the most devastating kind and hubris is always followed by her twin sister nemesis.
Over twenty years, thousands of our best and brightest fought and died to bring about this ephemeral goal. They carried out the orders of our government with skill, daring, bravery, and honor. While the leaders in Washington, and Europe offered the pretext of holding to the original goal of preventing another attack from the same soil. To say these leaders were just politicking on the graves of our young men may sound pedestrian, but the result is what counts.
Did we accomplish anything? Yes and no, the Taliban were pushed to the fringes and for twenty years women were not treated as slaves in their own culture. An entire generation of Afghans had opportunities they would not have had or will have now. Nonetheless, over the last twenty years the population of Afghanistan has increased from 26 million to 38 million and the average age is about 26. The Taliban that we defeated in 2001 have been replaced with Taliban who were not even born in 2001. Is it any wonder “nation building” is a failure?
What is probability in store in the next ten years? The abrupt pullout leaving millions of dollars of equipment for the Taliban. Americans left behind, and the ignominious kowtowing to Taliban demands will leave Americans abroad, even in allied countries, questioning the dedication of our government to rescue them in the event of conflict. Our enemies will take advantage of perceived and actual weakness to foster their agenda across the globe. They will not stop until there is significant pushback. And the pushback must be more committed and intense then would have been necessary before Afghanistan. A pushback could result in a major war.
So, twenty years later from that tragic Tuesday. Trillions of dollars spent with little to no oversight by congress. I recall the day very clearly. I had arrived at work early to oversee a contractor work and had gone to the cafeteria for breakfast. As I ate, there was a commotion on the other side of the dining room, and I heard that a plane has hit the World Trade Center. We had a TV in the office, and we gathered in time to see the second plane hit. I recall remarking to one of the secretaries, “this means war”. I had no doubt that it was part of a concerted attack. As events rolled in over the day it was apparent that it was the action of Moslem terrorists.
We are still at war, we have been at war, we will be at war. Our enemies have not given up, they will not give up until they have turned the non-Moslem world over. It is not a short-term war and never has been. Islam has always been at war with the West. It is time we reconciled ourselves that any peace is only temporary.
In a few days, it will be twenty years since the attack on 11 September 2001. In that time Americans have again gone to war against an enemy that many Americans do not want to call enemy. Not because they don’t abhor the action of the people who murdered 3000 Americans, but political correctness and the effort to appear more virtuous has made murky a clear vision of who the enemy truly is.
Our enemy postures as a religion, but in truth it is an extreme form of tyranny calling itself religion. It is the opposite of everything we define as Western values. In many ways it is the same enemy we have been fighting for thousands of years. The enemy is clever, dedicated, and resourceful, so are we. However, the enemy knows the goal of their bombings, murders, and torturing.
It is a strength and a weakness of our common culture that we are challenged to cast judgement on an entire group of people. The very essence of Western philosophy is objectivity to judge people and their actions without bias. In this respect we encourage individuality and creativeness. However, it also blinds us to deception from the enemy. Our enemy seeks to twist our principles and force us to reflect that perhaps the enemy is sensible and open to dialog and debate, they are not.
Over the last month our government has withdrawn from “the graveyard of empires” Afghanistan. We called it a war, but the national interest was solved with elimination of the Taliban government by the spring of 2002, so the actual war was short lived. The following nineteen years are the nation building stage. The goal of sending American troops was accomplished. And, then the goal changed. The thought was to prevent a repetition we must “nation build” in a country that has never been a nation. A country of tribal leaders, whose only common interests was their tyrannical religion and a haltered of foreigners.
America and our western allies sought to bring stability to this wasteland. To gift the Afghan people with consensual government, individuality, and economic freedom. No one cared or thought to ask the Afghans what they wanted. It was hubris of the most devastating kind and hubris is always followed by her twin sister nemesis.
Over twenty years, thousands of our best and brightest fought and died to bring about this ephemeral goal. They carried out the orders of our government with skill, daring, bravery, and honor. While the leaders in Washington, and Europe offered the pretext of holding to the original goal of preventing another attack from the same soil. To say these leaders were just politicking on the graves of our young men may sound pedestrian, but the result is what counts.
Did we accomplish anything? Yes and no, the Taliban were pushed to the fringes and for twenty years women were not treated as slaves in their own culture. An entire generation of Afghans had opportunities they would not have had or will have now. Nonetheless, over the last twenty years the population of Afghanistan has increased from 26 million to 38 million and the average age is about 26. The Taliban that we defeated in 2001 have been replaced with Taliban who were not even born in 2001. Is it any wonder “nation building” is a failure?
What is probability in store in the next ten years? The abrupt pullout leaving millions of dollars of equipment for the Taliban. Americans left behind, and the ignominious kowtowing to Taliban demands will leave Americans abroad, even in allied countries, questioning the dedication of our government to rescue them in the event of conflict. Our enemies will take advantage of perceived and actual weakness to foster their agenda across the globe. They will not stop until there is significant pushback. And the pushback must be more committed and intense then would have been necessary before Afghanistan. A pushback could result in a major war.
So, twenty years later from that tragic Tuesday. Trillions of dollars spent with little to no oversight by congress. I recall the day very clearly. I had arrived at work early to oversee a contractor work and had gone to the cafeteria for breakfast. As I ate, there was a commotion on the other side of the dining room, and I heard that a plane has hit the World Trade Center. We had a TV in the office, and we gathered in time to see the second plane hit. I recall remarking to one of the secretaries, “this means war”. I had no doubt that it was part of a concerted attack. As events rolled in over the day it was apparent that it was the action of Moslem terrorists.
We are still at war, we have been at war, we will be at war. Our enemies have not given up, they will not give up until they have turned the non-Moslem world over. It is not a short-term war and never has been. Islam has always been at war with the West. It is time we reconciled ourselves that any peace is only temporary.
