Before we close the debate on "progress", we should at least examine the living conditions of those we claim to be helping. In the last few months, organizations that actually care about the people of Afghanistan have painted a disturbing picture.
Oxfam and 16 other development organizations reported that the security situation for the Afghan people was the worst it had been since 2001. The ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) reported that "Life for ordinary Afghans has become untenable." The ICRC reports that in 2010, the seven prosthetic centers they run had to fit 4,000 new patients with prosthetic devices.
The Afghan people are reaching a breaking point after 32 years of war. But instead of reporting on the full costs of war, our media continues to give us smiley face reporting about "progress". General Petraeus once told an interviewer that counterinsurgency is "a growth industry". The general's career may be growing, but many of the children of Afghanistan are not.
The National Council of Churches, Sojourners, and the Network of Spiritual Progressives, among others, have made proposals for peace in Afghanistan. If we join them we will have something we have never had: a peace plan that includes the people of Afghanistan and America.
Oxfam and 16 other development organizations reported that the security situation for the Afghan people was the worst it had been since 2001. The ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) reported that "Life for ordinary Afghans has become untenable." The ICRC reports that in 2010, the seven prosthetic centers they run had to fit 4,000 new patients with prosthetic devices.
The Afghan people are reaching a breaking point after 32 years of war. But instead of reporting on the full costs of war, our media continues to give us smiley face reporting about "progress". General Petraeus once told an interviewer that counterinsurgency is "a growth industry". The general's career may be growing, but many of the children of Afghanistan are not.
The National Council of Churches, Sojourners, and the Network of Spiritual Progressives, among others, have made proposals for peace in Afghanistan. If we join them we will have something we have never had: a peace plan that includes the people of Afghanistan and America.
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