At this table talk we talked about the War on Terror, its impact, and where to go from here. I think it was an interesting discussion, and I think as to answering the question “where to go from here,” there isn’t that much of a straightforward answer (as with most things in life). I think the U.S. is too deep into this to simply pull all the troops out in one go (I think that would put Afghanistan at risk of being back into Taliban control), but I also think it’s time for the U.S. to withdraw (as Obama had done) instead of trying to get even more deeply entangled in this mess.
I feel like a theme throughout U.S. history is that we try really hard to be involved in things that we “believe in” (fight terrorism, for example, or communism, as in the past), but at the same time, are very hypocritical about these supposed “values.” Something that was discussed in the Table Talk was that the US got involved in Iraq and Afghanistan but not Saudi Arabia. I guess what I’m trying to stay to that point is that I feel like it’s not particularly the U.S.’s job to protect other countries, especially because every time we try, we just make a mess (and spend a ton of money). But it’s the politicians/people with a lot money calling the shots, so it doesn’t particularly matter what people like you or me think.
A point that was said during the table talk was that the War On Terror helped the U.S. economy. Sure, the war generated jobs, but if that same amount of money was invested on education, the ROI would be far higher. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m not really for more engagement in this issue for the U.S., but we certainly can’t just leave (because we started it). Perhaps with some time, though, our “next steps” would become clearer to us.
It was a really interesting table talk and brought to light an issue I haven’t thought about.
I didn’t attend this talk, so I’m going based on your post. However, it sounds to me like you think the US should mind its own business and not be involved in the affairs of other countries. To this point, I think that the US does pick and choose where we get involved and part of the reason we are involved in affairs that are not directly ours is that our troops largely compose that of the military forces of international organizations such as the UN, or so I remember reading somewhere. As for ROI on war, it may be an investment that we don’t see return on domestically because we are not aware of the differences we are making abroad. However, as a global community, I don’t think we can just turn a blind eye to oppressed communities on different continents.