Rural Routes/Margot Ford McMillen

Seek Reconciliation, Not Revenge

As I write this, the TV news is full of the horrors as the US pulls out of Afghanistan. Pundits declare that the Taliban takeover was a big surprise. They wonder if Biden’s presidency can survive such a debacle. And debacle is the favorite descriptor.

Oh, please. Anyone with a lick of sense could have predicted what would happen. A full generation of Afghan people grew up under US occupation. Now in their 20s, these kids were raised by parents who were infuriated, disgusted or just didn’t understand why Americans with their big vehicles, big guns, big jet planes, and sometimes disgusting habits were cruising their embattled nation. Stories are coming out about the corruption funded by American taxpayers — failed schools, mostly in rural areas, abandoned equipment now in the hands of Taliban fighters.

The excuse for the war was the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, a day of great American national tragedy and mourning, and since none of the perpetrators of those events was from Afghanistan, many Americans have been, like Afghan citizens, infuriated, disgusted or just baffled by the need for war. Some polls showed more than 70% of Americans approved of withdrawal. Still, we are shocked by the success of the Taliban.

What did we think was going to happen? A Taliban takeover should have been expected by a government (and us citizens) that saw unintended consequences after the pullout in Vietnam. After that withdrawal, thousands of our supporters tried to scale the walls of the US embassy. As a rescue, American churches were called upon to adopt families of men who had supported us in Vietnam.

Going back a little further, and a little more recently at the same time, we can see the ongoing result of American policy in Palestine (although we did have help there, in arrogant Winston Churchill). And, further still, check out the seeds of World War II, planted by punitive actions laid out by Europe and the US in the Treaty of Versailles.

Going back still farther, the horrors of war withdrawal can even be seen today as an obvious leftover from the American Civil War. The Confederate battle flag is still a powerful symbol for many folks even as we try to eradicate it … we saw that on Jan. 6.

Indeed, the impossibility of lasting peace after an occupation is set in stone the minute troops come into a place. The idea of a foreign government coming into a place to retaliate for an injustice can only end badly. The only way Biden and his crew could have avoided the problem was to kick the can down the road and talk about withdrawal while keeping our troops in Afghanistan through his term. That was the Trump strategy and it worked for him. It is inconceivable that our intelligence didn’t know how powerful the Taliban is and how weak the government that we supported.

For the next month or two, be prepared to hear media reports of more atrocities. Beheadings. Forced marriages. Rape. And, more disruption in other parts of the Mideast seem inevitable.

But, by pulling out early in his term, Biden has time for things to settle down.

In a best possible scenario, the Taliban will re-evaluate their former positions, especially regarding women. This would of course require the leadership of their religious community, finding peaceful ways to express their religion. Peaceful Muslim leaders should begin reaching out now.

And reconciliation will require investment to bring Afghanistan to some semblence of prosperity.

Back in 1991, I had the great good luck to accompany a group of Americans to an art show opening in Hanoi. “As Seen By Both Sides” contained pieces by Americans and Vietcong troops. Most of my fellow travelers were American veterans and many of the sites we saw were places of battle success immortalized by the Vietnamese. For example, we visited the lake where John McCain’s plane crashed.

We also visited the Museum of American Atrocities, now known as the War Remnants Museum. The exhibits were terrifying—an American jeep mounted to be crashing through a wall, stars painted on its hood, had a terrifying effect, even though it was stationary and obviously harmless. We were some of the first Americans that had been in that country since the War, and the excitement of the guides helped us realize that the Vietnamese had not lost their spirit. The younger ones enjoyed practicing their English. Others considered us a curiosity. The elders were still furious.

Today, Hanoi is an Asian capital with modern buildings, transportation and internet systems probably better than much of the US. The big changes came when American companies began to invest. American Express was leading the way by restoring a decrepit Buddhist temple. The finished part, gleaming red and gold, was breathtaking. Will Americans be bold enough to restore an Afghan mosque?

In that peaceful participation lies the way forward: May travelers to Afghanistan in 20 years see reconciliation.

Margot Ford McMillen farms near Fulton, Mo., and co-hosts “Farm and Fiddle” on sustainable ag issues on KOPN 89.5 FM in Columbia, Mo. She also is a co-founder of CAFOZone.com, a website for people who are affected by concentrated animal feeding operations. Her latest book is “The Golden Lane: How Missouri Women Gained the Vote and Changed History”. Email: margotmcmillen@ gmail.com.

From The Progressive Populist, September 15, 2021

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