The United States does not have sole responsibility for Afghan refugees, but it does have special responsibility for some, as a result of our long military intervention there. In particular, it should take responsibility for the safety of Afghans who are in danger because of their association with the U.S. government, its troops and contractors.
“VOA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively, and will also present responsible discussion and opinion on these policies.” — VOA Charter
The U.S. Has a Special Responsibility to Those Who Helped Americans
Posted April 6th, 2016 at 3:08 pm (UTC-4)
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The Politics of Polio Eradication
Posted March 15th, 2016 at 1:44 pm (UTC-4)
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During the past five years, polio cases have occurred almost exclusively in five conflict-affected countries: Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Syria. Because immunization programs are led by national governments and the WHO…it can be difficult to carry out vaccinations in areas where militants wage war against the state.
Afghanistan War: Just What Was the Point?
Posted February 25th, 2016 at 2:20 pm (UTC-4)
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Fatigue was always going to be the decider. Western fatigue with the horrors their troops saw, and with the violence inflicted daily on Afghans themselves. The fatigue of the financial cost, where a power station that was barely ever switched on cost Uncle Sam a third of a billion dollars.
Navigating the Road Ahead
Posted February 24th, 2016 at 3:33 pm (UTC-4)
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It has become a campaign staple to trash President Barack Obama’s foreign policy initiatives from Iraq, Cuba to Russia. American presidential hopefuls have the luxury of hindsight without the responsibility of Syria, Afghanistan, China and many other global concerns resting on their shoulders. But by this time next year, someone else will be making the tough calls from the Oval Office. It’s ironic that Obama won his first term with a pledge to end the seemingly endless, and deeply unpopular, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And he did fulfill those promises. However, by the time these policies were in place, the world seemed to have moved on to new crises, including the emergence of Islamic State out of the ashes of Iraq and the violent turmoil in Syria. All of this—and—more awaits the next President of the United States.
Love is a Battlefield
Posted February 12th, 2016 at 2:33 pm (UTC-4)
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Relationships also reveal the power of sunk costs, or past investments that can’t be recovered. Rationally, we should ignore sunk costs and focus on the future. But instead people tend to double down and invest more to justify their earlier sacrifice….The same danger exists in wartime…
Afghanistan — The Case for Staying
Posted December 30th, 2015 at 10:08 am (UTC-4)
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As 2015 ends, and after a trip to the country in December, my overall impression is that there is plenty to worry about but also ample reason for hope.
Why Europe, Not America, Should Fight ISIL
Posted December 23rd, 2015 at 3:12 pm (UTC-4)
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[E]ven when there are legitimate moral issues, there cannot be a duty for the United States to go to war simply because other powerful states fail to perform their moral duties. As in the case of national security, there should be no moral “free riders.”.
The Islamic State of Afghanistan
Posted December 23rd, 2015 at 9:17 am (UTC-4)
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[T]he military situation in … much of Afghanistan is getting close to critical, if it’s not there already. Now the Afghan government’s Western supporters and NATO need to show resolve and firmly back up the beleaguered Afghan security forces and do so with a view to a negotiated peace, not an open-ended war.
Drone Strikes Are Creating Hatred Toward America That Will Last for Generations
Posted December 10th, 2015 at 10:10 am (UTC-4)
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If we want to curb terrorism in the United States, we must stop drone attacks in the Middle East. … ‘The resentment created by American use of unmanned strikes … is much greater than the average American appreciates,’ Gen. [Stanley] McChrystal, who led the US counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan, said in 2013.
America’s “After-wars”
Posted November 11th, 2015 at 1:48 pm (UTC-4)
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Veterans Day is a somber moment for Americans to pause and honor the men and women who have served the United States in war. But what of the other battles that erupt when American veterans return from active duty to resume their lives? The so-called “walking wounded” are everywhere: the amputee with a prosthetic limb, the U.S. official who must decide whether to send men and women into combat (Who can forget former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates visibly tearing up when asked about American troops fighting in Iraq?) and those who appear to be okay, but really aren’t. There are countless men and women suffering with brain injuries or PTSD – post-traumatic stress disorder – or both. And there are the parents, spouses, partners and children of the dead whose lives are forever changed. There is widespread acknowledgement that many of our vets have been under-treated, if treated at all. That war drags on, slowly and painfully, for its victims.
A Grim Decision on Afghanistan
Posted October 16th, 2015 at 11:58 am (UTC-4)
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The key to ending the Afghan war remains a negotiated truce between the government and the leading factions of the Taliban, which has entered into talks with the Kabul government in recent years, but has not been persuaded to join the political process.
The Indispensible NATO Alliance
The kind of conventional military conflict that NATO was designed to deter — a Red Army invasion of Western Europe — is more of a danger now that at any time since the fall of the Berlin War. Russia under Vladimir Putin has rebuilt its military and has undertaken a series of invasion of its […]