Another tragedy. How should we respond to this?
We need to realize that it is not about an American killing Afghans or Afghans killing Americans. The tragedies share a pattern, which is deeper than who killed who question. It is a pattern of violent response to an unending violent conflict. Getting caught up with the symptoms of this problem may blind us to the deeper issues that need urgent attention.
The question of "should US soldiers leave now?" is driven by the assumption that there would be only one Afghan reaction to this tragedy, which is not the case. There is no straight forward, yes or no answer to this question. As we think about answers to this question, we need to realize that we live in an inter-connected world. The notion of "leave us alone, we can handle it" or "let them take care of it" can no longer work. What happens in one corner of the world affects the rest. Tragedies like this should help United States reflect on the lessons learned from this engagement and not discourage them from engagement with this difficult situation.
I look up to my nation for calm and for reason.
We need to realize that it is not about an American killing Afghans or Afghans killing Americans. The tragedies share a pattern, which is deeper than who killed who question. It is a pattern of violent response to an unending violent conflict. Getting caught up with the symptoms of this problem may blind us to the deeper issues that need urgent attention.
The question of "should US soldiers leave now?" is driven by the assumption that there would be only one Afghan reaction to this tragedy, which is not the case. There is no straight forward, yes or no answer to this question. As we think about answers to this question, we need to realize that we live in an inter-connected world. The notion of "leave us alone, we can handle it" or "let them take care of it" can no longer work. What happens in one corner of the world affects the rest. Tragedies like this should help United States reflect on the lessons learned from this engagement and not discourage them from engagement with this difficult situation.
I look up to my nation for calm and for reason.