War Why a Military Presence

War

Why a military presence in Afghanistan will fuel conflict and turmoil within the country

Why the people of Afghanistan will be better served with a military presence within the country

Concluding Remarks

The war in Afghanistan has been a contentious issue for both developed nations and those around the world. The middle east, and in particular, Afghanistan, has had a profound impact on global prosperity and the resultant quality of life for all stakeholders involved. As such, this conflict has major implications for developed countries. Currently many individuals within Europe and American want their respective troops out of Afghanistan. A survey of over 1000 individuals showed that nearly 68% thought that troops should be removed from the territory (BBC news, 2008). I believe these 68% of individuals to be correct. However, the war on terror does have its merits. Although, some form of presence is needed, I believe having military present on foreign soil can do both harm and good to all countries involves.

First, it is in my contention that a foreign military presence in Afghanistan only exacerbates the overall conflict within the country. I think it would be possible to have a presence within the country without having to have the military directly involved in the overall situation. Some military would be needed for security purposes of individual personnel who are very important to their respective countries, but nowhere the extent that we currently see. I believe this middle ground approach is warranted as it is a compromise to both arguments for and against foreign presence in Afghan. A military presence is perceived to be forceful method of negotiation. Force, in many respects is not a respectable and long-term solution to problems for many reasons. One, it does not attempt to have sympathy or apathy for the opponent viewpoint. It instead shuns their views in favor of ones own. This creates an aura of supremacy, which is not accepted well by Afghanistan or any negotiation partner. America, Europe and other developed nations are essentially saying, "Solve your problems the way we solve ours, or else you will be punished with force." Short-term, this method will indeed work as nations will be forced to bow to the ultimate military prowess of the developed nations. However, only resentment will arise in the long-term, which ultimately will breed animosity on the part of the Afghan people. Furthermore, military unrest breeds casualties. Many of these casualties will be of the innocent variety. Many innocent Afghan people will ultimately lose their lives over this military presence in the Middle East. If an innocent American or European is fatally wounded, these nations will be in an uproar. However, little concern is given to the Afghan people when their innocent is killed due to military action of developed nations. This too will only exacerbate the turmoil within the country. Revenge is a powerful emotion, especially when an individual has nothing a stake to achieve it. As such, due in parts to foreign operations in Afghanistan, many individuals have extreme animosity towards the developed world.

It is therefore much better to have some military presence in the Middle East simply to keep the peace rather than stake an all out assault. This middle ground approach will help to diminish animosity towards the developed world while also helping the Afghan people protect themselves. I believe this middle ground method will help stabilize the nation while allowing the people of Afghan to be accountable for any subsequent democratic changes within the nation.