Ahmad Shah Massoud invited the USA into your country. The USA helped Afghanistan kick out the Soviet invaders. It is not the USA’s job to build roads and schools in Afghanistan. That is the responsibilty of the people of Afghanistan.

So, if they have a referendum and decide that they have no responsibility for the condition of their country, then you will support that ?

What responsibility do the Afghan people have for the condition of Afghanistan ?

Only Afghans themselves can answer that question, I believe.

What responsibility do the Afghan people have for the condition of Afghanistan ?

My comments on Iraq also apply to Afghanistan….the building of infastructure is the very least necessity. It is my understanding that the newest aid bill, yet to pass Congress, will have increased aid monies going to Afghanistan for civil societal purposes. We’ll see how right I am in a few months.

As for the author’s points on tying the aid to curroption, well….this is a problem no matter where the money goes. It is a problem in Egypt, in Israel, everywhere. If you hire more people to increase transparency and make sure the money is spent correctly, that means there’s less money for the actual projects themselves. It is a very frustrating cycle, which is why people like John say we should just give up. I do not share his view on this but I understand his – and the author’s – frustration at so much money being wasted and not going where it was intended.

We want them to leave.

If you had written this 2 months ago I would conquer. Now that the USA is under an Obama administration I am hoping their military strategy and operations in the Middle East will change from “immoral” to maybe “crucial.” I am also hopeful there will not be any surprise attacks under Obama, as there was for 8 years under Bush. People tell me I am wrong, but I will give Obama a chance.

The American troops in Bahrain are there because your government allows them to be. This is not an occupation, this is a mutual agreement.

Based on non-mutual interests.

take it up with your own government

Because they’ve listened to us since when? This is not a democracy.

Either way, this post is about Afghanistan. Let’s focus on that please.

To say that no American President has ever cared for civilians or human rights is a very extreme generalization (and factually incorrect) statement. There would be no Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or UN for that matter, if it weren’t for FDR and his wife Eleanor. With that said, America has certainly lost its moral authority in the past 8 years.

I am in full agreement that the US needs to clean up damage before leaving – this is one of the problems with pulling out of Iraq immediately. America owes it to the Iraqis to hand them back a country that isn’t totally **** up, and certainly we owe for Iraq to be in better shape than it was when Bush asked us to go in. We have to commit $ to rebuild infastructure before leaving. That is the very least that needs to be done.

Clean up the mess you contributed to. And then stop. We want that as well. America is only doing this for the sake of her own interests, not once did any American president actually care about civilians in these countries, or human rights. That much has been clear. If it wasn’t about your interests, and your resources, America wouldn’t be here, so stop making this overwhelmingly simplistic. You’re in this because you gain from it, financially and politically.

And, FYI, people spit in your government’s faces because your government has caused way more damage than good in this world, specifically this previous administration.

I can’t wait for American forces to be removed from my country here, I hope this will happen. We don’t want them. We know they’re in this for their own sake and never for ours. We want them to leave.