President Obama’s first major decision as commander in chief was to order 17,000 more troops to deploy to Afghanistan, a move that will increase U.S. forces there by about 50 percent by next summer. David Cortright, research fellow at the Kroc Institute and an expert in effective nonmilitary strategies, believes a military surge and escalation of the war will make matters worse.
How will more troops in Afghanistan affect the region?
There is fierce opposition to U.S.-led military operations among Pashtun people in the region, and adding more troops will likely fuel resistance and increase public support for extremism. U.S. military attacks will only affirm Osama bin Laden’s warped perspective that America is waging war on Islam. In Pakistan, polls show that more than 80 percent of the population believes this, and an equal percentage considers the U.S. more of a threat than al Qaeda or the Taliban. As long as these attitudes prevail, there will be an endless supply of recruits willing to blow themselves up to kill Americans and their allies.
Is there any reason to believe a military surge will work?
Washington has already pumped tens of billions of dollars into the region in a failed search for military solutions. The U.S. funds the Pakistani military and intelligence forces – and they actively support the Taliban. We armed some of the Afghan warlords in the 1980s – now they are leading the insurgency fighting U.S. and NATO forces. The Taliban is not a unified ‘enemy.’ It is more than a dozen insurgent organizations in Afghanistan and dozens of Islamic groups in Pakistan. Most are motivated by specific local concerns, but they agree on one overriding objective: to get rid of foreign forces. More U.S. troops will unify the Taliban even more.
What’s the alternative?
The original reason for the U.S. intervention was to deny the use of Afghan territory for global terrorist strikes, a form of self-defense in response to the 9/11 attacks. Preventing terrorist attacks is a legitimate purpose, but war is the wrong means. Terrorist groups usually end through political bargaining and law enforcement, not the use of military force.
Our U.S. policy goals should include not only preventing future attacks, but supporting the tens of millions of Pakistanis and Afghans, especially women, who reject the intolerance of the Taliban and aspire to greater freedom and opportunity. We should offer to disengage militarily and instead provide a ‘surge’ of support for human rights and democracy. By helping local communities create schools, health care systems, and social welfare programs, we can help local governments win hearts and minds and reduce support for terrorism and extremism.
David Cortright’s commentary may be used in whole or in part.
He can be reached at (574) 631-8536 or dcortrig@nd.edu.
More about David Cortight.
