Image via WikipediaMore than a decade after President George W. Bush sent American forces into Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks, the country's longest war is getting on everybody's nerves.With no real reason to be there since the death of Osama bin Laden (in Pakistan), President Barack Obama has been pulling out soldiers at a rate which they could all be gone by 2014. Just as soon as the Afghans learn to fend for themselves against the Taliban, which is no sure bet.
Poll numbers tell us that a majority of Americans are sick of this war, and the troops should have been sent home yesterday. Even the Republican presidential candidates agree with that sentiment, if only because the war is costing the country a fortune in tax dollars.
What's complicating matters is the evolving image of the American military, both here and abroad. Once seen as heroic defenders of freedom and democracy, they're now considered an occupying force that offends the sensibilities of the people they're trying to protect. It also doesn't help that the same soldiers are being recycled through redeployments, creating resentment in the ranks.
Whether it's a U.S. soldier gunning down 16 Afghan citizens, or copies of the Koran being "accidentally" destroyed in a bonfire, can you really blame the Afghans for being P.O.'ed at the Americans, and for the Taliban to exploit the situation? They don't want apologies. They want revenge.
So think twice before blindly welcoming back soldiers who, for all we know, might be racist jerks who get a big thrill out of defacing religious symbols and pretending Afghanistan is the Wild West. The Obama administration also needs to take a step back before committing soldiers to yet another war in, let's say, Syria or Iran. The only nation-building that needs to be done is right here.
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