Our Afghanistan Obsession

Empathy and Priorities

There are more important things in the world than the current Afghanistan crisis. While one would have to be quite the hardened soul to not feel the pain and suffering at the airport near Kabul, I think the tragedy is disproportionately reported. Yes, Jane Ferguson of The PBS News Hour presents a powerful picture of the suffering and frustration at that location. I think she is headed for a Pulitzer. But while it is horrific and emotionally wrenching, I think it is getting too much press. Because it is the type of drama that video loves. People hanging off planes as they ascend…

From a political perspective, the fruit hangs so low, we are stepping on it. I heard Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska raking President Biden across the coals because “even if one American is left behind….”. So I get it. The political football is in the air. Who will catch it and gain the most yardage? Well, dear reader who may never read me again, I call bullshit.

Let’s look at all the plans that were not selected for exiting a twenty year boondoggle mismanaged from the start by three other presidents. I am waiting. I don’t hear anyone offering a better plan - just that Biden has mismanaged the exit. I hear people kicking the leader of our country when he is employing every available resource to remove as many people as possible without re-igniting the war.

What would have been a better scenario? If we HAD had the intelligence that the Afghan Army and it’s cowardly leaders would just melt into the countryside, what should we have done? Send in a 100,000 troops to expedite the removal? Bombing? Drone attacks? More innocent casualties? Isn’t that the ultimate oxymoron of an exit strategy? Should we have simply left earlier and would that have caught the Taliban by surprise? I think they were always ready to fill the vacuum. They proved they could activate and dominate in a matter of days. They have been re-arming and recruiting for years.

So what, indeed, is more important than the “Afghanistan Exit”? Here’s my list:
1. Voting rights. If we don’t restore democracy via the Voting Rights Acts, the misinformed minority will win election after election. We will be ruled by anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers and the puppets of the rich. And we won’t be able to address number 2 which is really number 1.
2. The Climate Crisis affects billions of people and trillions of organisms. Cataclysmic events are unfolding as we speak and they are viewed by too many as aberrations. The Earth is screaming at us. But we’re too busy watching one small country grapple with the same cultural issues that have consumed it for eons.
3. The Covid Virus is not going away. The Delta variant is just part of an endless process of mutation. We need to accept that it will be with us - just like other Corona based illnesses like the common cold, like the flu - maybe forever. Vaccinations must be mandated and masking should be basic to our lives. Our ability to just do basic healthcare is breaking down. Health care workers are walking away. Thousands of professionals are not being replaced. Americans can’t be treated because hospitals are full. We are sending ourselves into third world status. And because of a loud misinformation minority it is going to get worse. Thank you Fox News owned by an Australian billionaire.
4. On January 6, 2021 Trump supporters invaded the Capitol Building interrupting the orderly process of certifying the Presidential election. It was an attempted coup. It was an insurrection. The Presidential election of November 2020 was deemed the “best run and safest election in our history” by the Republican cyber security expert overseeing US elections. The investigation into how that rebellion was financed, assisted, encouraged and enabled is under way. There must be accountability for all who participated - not just the guy dressed as an animal. Emotionally, this could be my number 1. But I can’t really believe I am saying this…there are more critical problems like number 2 (that should be number 1 after number 1 is addressed).

That’s my short list. There is much more. Can we get our act together or are we just going to allow the latest most visually compelling news story to paralyze us? Afghanistan is a mess. So are many other countries that need help. Many. But maybe we should start at home with number 1. Save democracy. Then save the world.
Good luck to us all.
PS: Here is an excellent opinion piece from Frank Bruni at the NYTimes.
Stop Politicizing Afghanistan