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.

16 years after the US invasion of Afghanistan, the war rages on in the deserts and cities of that distant country. 16 years and approximately $2 trillion (according to a report by CNN), and we still find ourselves asking “Why are we there? And how do we get out? Can we?” At last week’s Table Talk, a small group of us delved into some of these dilemmas.

First, the name: the “War on Terror.” Catchy, yes. It’s hard to argue with the fact that terror is bad and that we ought to combat it. But who are we fighting and what are we trying to accomplish? Do we meet Terror on the open battlefield? Once we’ve beat Terror, will we make it sign a treaty and try it in international court like the Nazis after World War II?

Before coming to Cornell, I spent a year at a German high school, where my government class spent an extensive amount of time discussing the war in Afghanistan, which Germany continues to be involved in (there are currently 950 German troops in Afghanistan,and 56 Germans have died there). One of the big takeaways I got from the discussions in that class was that the NATO coalition had gone into Afghanistan without a concrete plan, rushing in with the vague goal of “combating terror.” But not enough thought was given to what would happen after we overthrew the Taliban.

America has policed the world since the beginning, going as far back as President Monroe’s declaration of American influence over the Western hemisphere. But this policy has gotten us into many sticky situations before (e.g. Vietnam, Korea, Syria as it that situation continues to develop…), and it’s landed us in a position in Afghanistan in which we are stuck helping the current government barely hold off the Taliban by providing funds, training, and assistance (see NATO’s “Resolute Support” mission). We continue to pour in resources (and lives) with relatively little improvement, but the alternative—risking a Taliban takeover—is unacceptable to us, in terms of human rights and political concerns.

This tension between domestic and international interests, in the sense that international commitments eat up resources and energy that might be otherwise dedicated to domestic concerns, has always been an important American question. Of late, though, it’s been especially at the forefront of national discussion. As we (as a nation) continue to answer questions about Afghanistan, we may be changing our role and emphasis in international politics.

I attended the War on Terror Table Talk. Because it was on the 16th anniversary of this tragic event, we started with talking about what we remembered about this day. It was interesting because most of us were 3 or 4 years old, and had no memory of the actual day it occurred, but rather remembered learning about it or noticing something off about the day. For me, I didn’t remember 9/11 nor the first time I heard about it, but I can remember having moments of silence every year in elementary school to remember the event and having conversations in my classes, talking about the Twin Towers and the additional planes that went down.

But 9/11 was not the end, rather it was the beginning of a U.S. policy declaring ‘War on Terror’. This event lead to a sharp increase in military operations, and a month later the first of countless many US troops were sent into Afghanistan to remove the Taliban regime and capture al-Qaeda forces. This also means that the US has been fighting a war in Afghanistan for almost 16 years. Naturally, the discussion shifted to what the US can do to bring back troops from the Middle East. The method I agreed with was training the Afghan troops, so they could be self-sufficient with the US maybe supplying weapons.

This was an interesting conversation that allowed us to explore a important but uncommon topic. Even though we are still fighting a war in Afghanistan, the coverage about it has decreased. So this table talk gave us the opportunity to share our views about this.