Larry Beinhart’s Body Politic

Getting Out of Afghanistan

by Larry Beinhart and photographs by Dion Ogust, November 24, 2009

Should we get out of Afghanistan?

Yes.

Imperialism, in general, is a tough business. Even with good intentions—reform, rebuild, bring democracy, modernize, civilize, liberate, pick up the white man’s burden.

There is a classic sequence. A rebel group commits violent acts. The occupying power reacts with force. This alienates the population. If it doesn’t, the rebels push until they get the reaction they need. The rebellion grows.

Since the Second World War imperialism has become increasingly difficult. It is especially difficult if the occupier is ethnically, religiously, and culturally different than the locals. It doesn’t matter if the foreign power is there by “invitation,” as the Russians were in Afghanistan and the US was in Vietnam.

But an occupation is tough. It can only succeed in a state that is contiguous, as Chechnya is to Russia and Tibet is to China. Success demands utter ruthlessness, secret police, assassinations, the murder of civilians, leveling neighborhoods and sometimes entire cities. Open societies like ours find that hard to tolerate.

Afghanistan, in particular, is a tough place to run an occupation.

Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire in six months.

But it took him three years to conquer Afghanistan. He only settled things by taking an Afghan bride, then moving on.

In the 19th century, at the height of their imperial power, Great Britain fought two wars against the Afghans. The first time, the Afghans destroyed an entire British army. The second time, the English attained a limited victory. They put a puppet on the throne who gave them control of Afghanistan’s foreign policy—to keep the Russians out—but otherwise withdrew from the country.

In 1978, an indigenous Marxist group took power in Afghanistan.

Their goal was to modernize: liberate women, change marriage customs, abolish usury, and cancel farmers’ debts. These things upset many of the Afghan people and an insurgency began.

Early in 1979, the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan asked the Soviet Union for help. The Russians were obligated by a treaty, and, with some reluctance, sent advisors. The situation deteriorated, and at the end of the year, Soviet troops entered the country.

The Russians were tough. The Russians were ruthless. They carpetbombed, bull dozed, and deployed land mines. Over 1,000,000 Afghans died, 1,200,000 were disabled,  3,000,000 were maimed or wounded, and 5,000,000 fled the country.
In spite of all that, the Soviet Union, withdrew, defeated, 10 years later.
Over 600,000 of Soviet troops had served, 80,000 to 104,000 at any give time. They had over 14,000 dead, 496,685 were wounded or seriously ill, including 115,308 cases of infectious hepatitis.
Withdrawal was followed by a civil war, which the Taliban won.

Why don’t we get out of Afghanistan?
The terrorists!

Estimated number of Al Qaeda members now operating if Afghanistan, according to the US national security advisor: 100.

Number of US troops who would be stationed there if General Stanley McChrystal’s leaked request were granted: 120,000 (Harper’s Index, November, 2009).