Increasing numbers of us argue that we should get our military out of Afghanistan – that it is a hopeless cause. We argue that Afghanistan is “too different”, it is futile to remake that culture “in our own image” or to attempt to “democratize” it or to “nation-build” over there.
Others will argue that Japan during WWII was similarly foreign to us. We could not relate to their values, their form of government or their culture. But look at Japan 20 years later. Look at Japan today, 60 years later. See what can happen if we persevere? We should “stay the course.”
Very funny! Not really.
There are three huge differences between Japan and Afghanistan that make the comparison laughable:
1. Japan was a civilized nation, already a part of the 20th century. Afghanistan is several centuries behind in most respects.
2. Islam informs the culture, morality, social systems, and values of Afghanistan. Islam is unique among all the world’s religions in its moral degeneracy. Japan had and has a moral code that is much more compatible with western values than Islamic moral codes ever were or ever could be.
3. The ultimate “shock and awe” – our will to win and save lives via “the bomb.” Our shock and awe today has turned into a feminine whimper. We do not have the will to win. The definition of “winning” has reached the pinnacle of obfuscation. No one in authority really knows what winning means or should mean – not since the Korean War. We are too down on ourselves as a nation to impose our winning on another.
Until we rediscover our national self-worth, we have no business with a military presence in another nation.
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