Rethink Afghanistan

by Sister Carolyn Law


In May, my Pax Christi Peace Group chose the movie “Rethink Afghanistan” for our monthly feature. This event was the first time we streamed a movie off the Internet. A friend of one our members brought his laptop computer, hooked it up to the LCD projector and downloaded the movie segments via a wireless connection.

As we all know Afghanistan is the new focus for war. Pax Christi is an International Catholic Peace movement and is firmly against war, the preparations for war, and are for peaceful means to resolve conflicts. While many would say, including President Obama, that this war against terrorism is necessary, this movie invites us to think again.

Here is some of what the movie, “Rethink Afghanistan”, has to teach us:

• There is no military solution to this conflict.
• The war costs will be $1 trillion. Due to the difficult location, mountainous and land locked, it costs $775,000 to send and maintain one soldier there. It cost $500,00 to send and maintain one soldier in Iraq.
• Afghans are the world’s best resisters when it comes to defending their country against foreign occupiers. They beat the British and the Russians.
• Pakistan is more unstable than Afghanistan, possesses hundreds of nuclear weapons, and 60% of their children suffer malnutrition—SIXTY PER CENT!
• India is a big player in the region, fights with Pakistan over Kashmir.
• Every civilian death creates more people who hate the U.S.
• These war monies could be better used to fund health care and other quality of life programs in the U.S. and elsewhere.
• This war has already cost $189 billion.

You can view the movie on line at www.rethinkafghanistan.com

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