Time to End the War in Afghanistan

Time to End the War in Afghanistan

There are so many reasons.

Facebook
Twitter
Email
Flipboard
Pocket

We won’t likely hear too much about Afghanistan from President Obama during the SOTU. But don’t forget that we’re currently fighting the longest war in US history with no real prospect of victory.

With violence in the country still worsening a year after the military push into Marjah–the start of what some call "Obama’s War"–it seems clear military solutions won’t work. Brave New Foundation’s documentary series, Rethink Afghanistan, has offered strong reasons for ending the war: There’s the likelihood that military action can’t succeed, the fears that the war is de-stabilizing a nuclear Pakistan, the staggering financial costs of the conflict, the civilian casualties and the questionable assumption that a US military victory would liberate women.

The latest video eschews the experts and asks a range of people to explain why they think it’s time to end the war. The result is compelling — and you can still participate in the project.

End the war. Become a peacemaker.

We cannot back down

We now confront a second Trump presidency.

There’s not a moment to lose. We must harness our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger, to resist the dangerous policies Donald Trump will unleash on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as journalists and writers of principle and conscience.

Today, we also steel ourselves for the fight ahead. It will demand a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis, and humane resistance. We face the enactment of Project 2025, a far-right supreme court, political authoritarianism, increasing inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis, and conflicts abroad. The Nation will expose and propose, nurture investigative reporting, and stand together as a community to keep hope and possibility alive. The Nation’s work will continue—as it has in good and not-so-good times—to develop alternative ideas and visions, to deepen our mission of truth-telling and deep reporting, and to further solidarity in a nation divided.

Armed with a remarkable 160 years of bold, independent journalism, our mandate today remains the same as when abolitionists first founded The Nation—to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom, serve as a beacon through the darkest days of resistance, and to envision and struggle for a brighter future.

The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.

Onwards,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x