Letters to the Editor
-
Foreseen
There were people in the U.S. who opposed the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan, and the support for the Mujahedeen by Carter. It was not 'unforeseen' as Kamiya claims. An 'enemy of my enemy is my friend' is really stupid 'realpolitik'. In fact the intervention was driven by the Carter doctrine, which claimed Soviets in Afghanistan threatened oil in the Gulf. Right.
Ironically, it was the crypto-Communists in Afghanistan that were fighting to educate women and bring that country into the 20th century...and we lined up on the other side.
Is Bush motiviated by religion? Yes. See Kevin Phillips book on "American Theocracy" for the religious roots of the Republican Party. But losing out in Iraq is also about oil, as we will be weaker in our ability to control oil prices if we leave militarily. Why doesn't Kamiya bring that up? Because perhaps that is too materialistic and factual a motivation, unlike just blaming everything on 'hubris'.
More importantly, is there any way out? Yes. Leave. Just leave. Like a bad marriage, the worst thing to do is prolong it. Prolonging a mistake never the situation better.