100 Slaves 100 Enemies

William R. Polk argues that we should get out of Afghanistan, because our absence will allow the native political process to get under way leading to a loya jirga, which will legitimate whatever decisions are made.

We cannot be part of this process. The process will not occur if we continue to prop up those in power, giving them no reason to allow a process that will likely reduce their power. On the other hand, if they know we are leaving, their alternative would most certainly be life threatening, rather than simply tipping the balances of power in favor of the native political structure.

The Taliban could likely come out of this process as leaders at first. But it is our military presence that empowers them. Once we leave (and the sooner the better in this regard) the appeal of the Taliban — the group most successfully retaliating against the Western invaders — will wane.

Polk concludes his essay with a description of how to go about leaving Afghanistan and ends with the following paragraph:

To the contrary, getting out of Afghanistan, could lead us toward a reassertion of the principles and purposes that have made our country not just respected for its wealth and power but beloved throughout the world. If we make a sincere effort to live up to the message in President Obama’s address in Cairo – that we are willing to live in a multicultural world – much of the fear and danger we perceive today will become a bad memory. Then we can truly turn toward the serious business of educating our children, providing our citizens with adequate health care and again becoming for the world’s peoples “a city on the hill.”

Informed Comment: Polk: Let America be America, and Depart Afghanistan.

William R. Polk was the member of the Policy Planning Council responsible for North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia from 1961 to 1965 and then professor of history at the University of Chicago where he founded the Middle Eastern Studies Center. He was also president of the Adlai Stevenson Institute of International Affairs. His most recent book is Understanding Iran: Everything You Need to Know, From Persia to the Islamic Republic, From Cyrus to Ahmadinejad (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, October 27, 2009).