Afghanistan
After the disastrous pullout from Afghanistan last week, where Americans and those who helped us, were left behind where countless thousands who had no claim on us were airlifted, I have to ask—what did we accomplish? Why were we still there after 20 years?
The initial actions, triggered by the 9/11 terrorist attack, was justified as a way to get rid of the Taliban who harbored many al-Qaeda members. We accomplished this in two months, but then spent the next seven years trying to knock out the Taliban’s military while creating conditions for a more stable government, i.e., nation building. We stayed and in fact, increased troop numbers to continue to try to help Afghans build their own army, restore buildings and institutions and become a more successful country. Overnight, as the withdrawal happened this year, we realized that it had all been a waste. Nothing we did made any difference to the trajectory of the Afghan state. Yet countless lives were lost and billions of dollars spent in this objective. We accomplished nothing.
American Arrogance (and Stupidity)
We haven’t always believed in nation building, an odd concept of spending money on a country after we defeated them in war. We certainly didn’t send money to Great Britain after the Revolution. But somewhere along the line, perhaps beginning with World War II, we felt a need to not only repair any damage a war caused (with little or no help from our Allies); we also got the idea that we should push for the defeated country to adopt our policies and principles. We wanted to pick new leaders and define a system of government. This while we strayed from our origins and began to destroy a system that had been working for many years.
It should be noted that Japan didn’t come in and rebuild our Naval base in Hawaii. Few countries feel this responsibility. So, I wonder: —why do we think we have to do this? Especially, as in Korea, Viet Nam and Afghanistan, it really wasn’t our war. Why do we involve ourselves in everyone else’s battles? It isn’t gain, as many Democrats like to claim. If it were, we would have demanded all the oil we wanted at favorable prices after we saved Kuwait. We would have been a leader in rare earth metals from drawing them out from Afghanistan. But we don’t do this. We never have. So, what is the point?
Our government appears to feel that they know better than any other government as to how to run things. They also believe they know better than taxpayers how to use their money. They spend recklessly over endless wish lists, but the money that they use overseas doesn’t win hearts and minds. Instead, wherever we intervene, we make more enemies. We don’t get, (or seem to expect), gratitude. We don’t see an increase in loyalty from our Allies. Consider how Western Europe expects us to pay a disproportionate amount of their defense expense. What does that tell you? And yet, when we want something, they ignore us.
The list of our mistakes goes on and on, and in fact, I can’t think of a single intervention in the past 120 years where we reaped any advantage from our nation building work. Selecting Ghani to run Afghanistan was only our latest misstep, as he fled while his ship went down, most likely with millions of our dollars, money we need for Americans.
Generally, when we make a mistake a few times over, we figure it out. We need to adopt a new approach. But for some reason, our government, Democrats and Republicans alike, believe that we have some responsibility to intervene in nearly any international problem; as if we have a better answer, or are simply smarter than everyone else. We get a few small battles right; (Trump’s peace accords with the UAE and Israel). But in general, we leave countries the same or worse off and with an increased number of enemies.
Non-Intervention
The Libertarian Party stands for non-intervention, believing that other people and countries should be allowed to make their own mistakes and create their own successes. Our only relationship should be free and open trade. This doesn’t mean that when a disaster hits, we don’t help. But help should be targeted and appropriate. If a government is corrupt, (read most of Africa), we shouldn’t send that government aid, money and supplies. We need to get permission to come in and distribute needed goods and help to the places impacted. If the government refuses, we stay home.
When we aren’t always on call for help, the people are more empowered to take back their government when it isn’t working for them. We create learned helplessness in citizens when the US is always around to be both savior and whipping boy. And we do ourselves no favors. How many people aspire to be soldiers when they realize their sacrifice no longer contributes to American freedom? How long will people continue to pay taxes to pay for “the smart people in the room’s” idea of how to run other countries’ governments?
It’s time to admit we aren’t as smart as we think we are and stop meddling. Even when it is supposed to be only a humanitarian mission (think Haiti), somehow, we leave it as bad as it was, or perhaps worse off. So, let’s just stop.
And remember: people desire to be loved and admired. Countries should never fall into that trap. We are to be respected and perhaps…feared.
