Bernard Sanders
Vermont
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510-4504
January 11, 2010
Dear Dr. Naylor,
Thank you for contacting me about the difficult and tragic situation in Afghanistan. This is an issue which weighs very heavily on the minds of Vermonters, and I appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.
In 2001, the United States went into Afghanistan to capture Osama bin Laden and destroy his base there. But, in my view, the past administration took its eye off the ball – it slowed the pursuit of bin Laden and the creation of a more stable Afghanistan in order to wage war in Iraq. Today, bin Laden is still at large and more than eight years later, twice the time we spent fighting World War II, we are still there, with no end in sight. My great fear about Afghanistan is that we will get bogged down into a never-ending quagmire with more and more loss of life and billions spent year after year. Now is the time to clarify what our goals in Afghanistan are, and what our exit strategy must be.
The situation in Afghanistan remains fluid and highly volatile, and Congress and the nation continue to be divided over the best way to proceed. The American people are increasingly disturbed about the widespread government corruption in Afghanistan and the fact that political forces loyal to President Karzai engaged in well-documented fraud during the recent election. There is also great concern that Afghanistan today remains the largest producer in the world of raw opium, which is a major source of the heroin that is hitting the streets of countries throughout the world.
After consultation with top military and civilian officials and lengthy consideration, President Obama announced his intention to increase our troop presence in Afghanistan by 30,000 troops. Our military efforts in the country are to be focused on reversing recent gains made by the Taliban, pursuing Al Qaeda in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, and strengthening the Afghans’ own government and armed forces. The president has set a timeline for beginning the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in mid-2011.
Although I agree with President Obama that it would be a setback for democracy and stability in the region if the Taliban regain power in Afghanistan, I continue to have serious concerns about the strategy and priorities that he has outlined. First, why are American taxpayers and our brave soldiers bearing almost all of the burden in what should be an international effort? If a destabilized Afghanistan is a danger to the entire world, where is a commensurate commitment on the part of Europe, Russia, China and the rest of the international community? Second, why in the midst of a severe recession with 17 percent of our people unemployed or under-employed and a huge national debt – are we going to be spending $100 billion a year on Afghanistan when we have so many pressing needs at home? Third, I worry about how we can forge a dependable partnership with an Afghan government that is ineffective and corrupt, and how we can build a stable society in a region that has been deeply tribal for many centuries.
The recent attempted terrorist attack against a plane full of passengers heading for Detroit makes us understand why we must remain extremely vigilant in the fight against terrorism. But it also raises important questions. The alleged perpetrator of this attack was trained by Al Qaeda in Yemen, not Afghanistan. Tomorrow’s attack may be launched from Somalia or some other unstable part of the world. This tells me that while we, working with other countries, must find a way to stabilize Afghanistan we must fully understand that Al Qaeda bases exist throughout the world – not just in one country. Just as the Bush Administration lost focus on the overall picture of effectively fighting terrorism by placing enormous resources in one country, Iraq, we must not do the same in Afghanistan.
My hope is that the president will engage our international allies in achieving a solid measure of stability in the region, and focus on bringing our troops home quickly rather than on expanding or prolonging our military presence there. I also hope that he fully accepts that our priorities abroad should not come at the expense of the pressing domestic problems that our country faces.
Again, thank you for contacting me about this important issue.
Sincerely,
BERNARD SANDERS
United States Senator
