Peace Action West

President Obama was right. We do need to focus on Afghanistan.

But by intensifying a failed military strategy, our political leaders are taking us in the wrong direction. Our goal should be to reduce terrorism and stabilize Afghanistan, making both Americans and Afghans safer. The war is failing on both counts. The good news is that there are clear, proven alternatives to war. As Americans, we need to push the president and Congress to examine those alternatives and get Afghanistan right.

More than eight years after the invasion of Afghanistan, the "War on Terror" has proven to be a counterproductive framework for addressing the threat of terrorism. It has in fact undermined long-term US security.

In escalating this war, the Obama administration is diverting resources from strategies that have a track record of success. Countries like Spain and England beat terrorism by addressing it as a criminal issue, an approach that has proven to be far more effective than military force. [1] In fact, according to a RAND report examining the history of the successful defeat of terrorism, terrorist groups most often end due to policing and intelligence and/or political reconciliation—not military force. Despite this, the US has poured billions of dollars into a predominantly military strategy.

It's a massively expensive strategy that doesn't make sense.

The Obama administration confirms that there are fewer than 100 Al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan. The US is preparing to ramp up to 1,000 times as many soldiers to fight this scattered force, at a cost of roughly $1 million per soldier per year. Meanwhile, those soldiers put their lives on the line for a strategy that is inappropriate and misguided when it comes to stopping actual terrorist plots. For instance, the Christmas Day bomber was not deterred by our presence in Afghanistan, but could have been foiled from the start by better intelligence and coordination between civilian intelligence agencies and the State Department.

American soldiers are paying for this misguided strategy with their lives. Since the Obama administration began escalating the Afghanistan war, US military casualties have skyrocketed. American casualties are near 1,000, with 2009 marking the deadliest year of the eight-year war for US troops so far. Thousands of the soldiers who do return come home with missing limbs, traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and depression. Suicide has also become a pervasive killer of our active duty and returning soldiers. These burdens are borne most heavily by the soldiers and their families.

And the results speak for themselves.

The war in Afghanistan has unavoidably wreaked havoc on the local population. Despite efforts to avoid civilian casualties, innocent Afghans continue to die in airstrikes, night raids and at military checkpoints. General McChrystal acknowledged, "We have shot an amazing number of people, but to my knowledge, none has ever proven to be a threat."

It's impossible to know the total loss of civilian life due to the war in Afghanistan, but all estimates are in the tens of thousands. Look deeper into the numbers and you'll see the devastating loss of community elders and leaders, bread winners, caretakers, guardians, children, parents and grandparents. They are people who mattered, to their families and to their communities. Their loss is the loosening of another thread, further unraveling the fabric of Afghan society. The civilian deaths and terrifying violence continue to put access to clean water and basic services out of reach, and fuel more violence by adding fire to the insurgency. Afghans struggle financially, without the ability to pay medical bills or replace lost homes damaged in bombings.

Because a large portion of civilian casualties occur when US soldiers are engaged in battle with insurgents, a troop escalation is likely to cause more civilian casualties, not fewer. A lost loved one easily overshadows any good the US can do in Afghanistan, and can provide fuel to an insurgency with the mission of expelling foreign troops.

And while it's true that the Taliban insurgency is fueled by the anger and resentment that Afghans feel because of the war, that's only part of the story. Sadly, the insurgency provides the only stable employment many Afghans have seen in decades. Many Taliban fighters first pick up a gun because it pays, and it puts food on the table. In turn, the war continues to destroy the economy and decimate other less violent job prospects for Afghans.

There are credible alternatives to the current approach that have not been considered. As Ambassador Karl Eikenberry wrote in secret cables to the State Department, "…we should weigh whether a relatively small additional investment in programs for development and government would yield results that, if not as visible as those from sending more troops, would move us closer to achieving our goals at far lesser cost and risk, both in lives and dollars." We need a national conversation about more effective, nonmilitary alternatives in Afghanistan, and the US government must put resources into proven strategies that will make the US safer and increase stability in Afghanistan.

President Obama and Congress should:

1. Replace the "Global War on Terror" framework with a nonmilitary counterterrorism strategy based on proven methods. Terrorists are criminals, not armies at war with the United States, and the current war footing has obscured more pragmatic approaches and fed anti-American sentiment. We're fighting a counter-insurgency strategy reminiscent of Vietnam, when we should be running the kind of targeted nonmilitary counter-terrorism strategy that history shows is far more effective. Moreover, in the spirit of doing what works and repairing America's damaged international reputation, the US should commit to civilian trials for terrorist suspects and the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison.

2. Focus resources on policing and intelligence. Targeted police work, including the use of human intelligence, has proved to be one of the most effective methods for combating terrorism. This could include work by US intelligence agencies as well as cooperation with foreign intelligence agencies and police.

3. Engage in robust diplomacy with stakeholders in the region. In 2001, Iran cooperated with the US following the invasion of Afghanistan and contributed millions of dollars in reconstruction funds. Iran is an influential regional power and has a shared interest in stabilizing Afghanistan. The US should work closely with Iran and other stakeholders such as Pakistan, India, and Russia.

4. Support negotiations and internal political reconciliation. The people of Afghanistan must come together to resolve internal tensions and move forward in stabilizing their country. These talks should include negotiations with elements of the Taliban, and must also have a seat at the table for women and other oppressed groups to ensure that their rights are respected.

5. Strengthen and deploy non-military aid and engagement. The US should strengthen development work in Afghanistan and ensure that resources are focused on effective, accountable, and Afghan-led development. As Defense Secretary Robert Gates noted, "There is a need for a dramatic increase in spending on the civilian instruments of national security—diplomacy, strategic communications, foreign assistance, civic action, and economic reconstruction and development." Non-military assistance will be instrumental in creating long-term stability and building critical local capacity. Greater economic opportunity will also help alleviate grievances that make terrorist recruitment easier.

6. Reduce the US military footprint in Afghanistan with the goal of complete withdrawal of US troops, ramping up support for civilian initiatives while ramping down the military presence. Blunt military force is ineffective in eradicating terrorist groups; it merely causes them to relocate. The heavy reliance on military force, especially air strikes, also alienates the local population and undermines political progress and reconciliation. The US should work with the international community to build the Afghan police and military. President Obama has stated a date to begin withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan; this must be followed by an exit strategy and a timeline for withdrawal so the US is not drawn into an endless commitment to the counterproductive military approach.

7. Develop a comprehensive plan for cooperation with Pakistan on counterterrorism and development. Pakistan is an integral partner in fighting terrorism and stabilizing Afghanistan, and is caught in a complex web of domestic political unrest and regional security concerns. US policy has been over reliant on military aid, sending unaccountable funds to Pakistan without clear progress. The US should use political, economic and diplomatic tools to work effectively with Pakistan. In addition, the US should cease cross-border raids into Pakistan without the permission of the Pakistani government and drone strikes that kill mostly civilians. Retired Army Major General Mahmud Ali Durrani, a key player in Pakistan's national security and former ambassador to the US, said of the raids, "It is doing exactly the opposite of what you are trying to do. We are trying to separate the good guys from the bad guys, trying to separate the tribes from the militants. We made it abundantly clear that this [attack] was pushing them together and creating sympathy for the militants." The US must build trust with the Pakistani people and government and use funds effectively for development and targeted counterterrorism efforts.