-When discussing the Afghanistan war with my friend's older sister, I was quite surprised with how bluntly she expressed her views and feelings towards the war. From the beginning of our discussion, it was pretty apparent that she was against the war in Afghanistan and there was not much of a chance of altering her position, but fortunately, I wasn't aiming to change her position. She started by admitting that she hadn't researched a lot about the Afghanistan war but went on anyway by saying that the U.S. should not continue the war in Afghanistan because she felt it was wrong of the nation to intrude on another country and pretty much try to control it- even going so far as to accusing the U.S. of being "arrogant", as said later on in the discussion. As we kept talking, she continued mentioning the, what she thought to be, control-based motives of the U.S. and how we shouldn't have even gotten involved in this war, similar to the Vietnam war. At one point, I mentioned that controlling how Afghanistan rules and behaves probably hasn't been the main and only goal for the U.S. to achieve from this war by bringing up the 2001 start and like the main guy involved, bin Laden. I brought up the idea that the motives of the U.S. regarding the war may have changed as time passed, and she agreed, but I forgot to ask why "we" thought the motives have changed. However, adding to the changed motives, she brought up that like the Vietnam war, we're trying to aggressively push our democratic ideas onto Afghanistan (South Vietnam being similar to Afghanistan) and practically take away their choice in how they live by telling them that the way they have/ had the country isn't an option anymore. I then brought up that many of the Afghanistan citizens don't have a choice in how they live anyways and if they wanted to go back to their old ways, they could go to a different area and live with people who agree with their choice of lifestyle rather than practically force a whole nation to live that way, to which she gave a fairly good response but was sadly forgotten as my attention unintentionally shifted more towards my ever-growing hunger.
-Throughout the discussion, we not only talked about the controversial motives for the involvement in the Afghanistan war but we also discussed the national consequences regarding the U.S. socially, economically, and politically. When discussing the theory that we could succeed in the war if we continue for a while (even though the war's been going on for nine years and not a lot of progress is being noticed), she thought that we maybe could have a shot at victory, but she questioned if that would be enough to make up for the money and lives lost for this war. I then asked her if we pulled out, would that mean all of our efforts and sacrifices were for nothing? She thought by saying that all we've done so far was for nothing was a little harsh, but after mentioning all that we've put in and the little made progress made in nine years, she boldly stated "At this point, I really don't think we can win." We reflected on the decreasing morale and weakened hope among our nation's population along with the increasing debt and struggling economy. She believes our nation's image has already been hurt enough from being in the war and being in there this long that pulling out would be a better option because our image isn't perfect as it is, and cautiously pulling out would ultimately benefit our nation more. Besides, there are always other ways to rebuild our reputation if this war does the job of ruining it.
-Throughout the discussion, we not only talked about the controversial motives for the involvement in the Afghanistan war but we also discussed the national consequences regarding the U.S. socially, economically, and politically. When discussing the theory that we could succeed in the war if we continue for a while (even though the war's been going on for nine years and not a lot of progress is being noticed), she thought that we maybe could have a shot at victory, but she questioned if that would be enough to make up for the money and lives lost for this war. I then asked her if we pulled out, would that mean all of our efforts and sacrifices were for nothing? She thought by saying that all we've done so far was for nothing was a little harsh, but after mentioning all that we've put in and the little made progress made in nine years, she boldly stated "At this point, I really don't think we can win." We reflected on the decreasing morale and weakened hope among our nation's population along with the increasing debt and struggling economy. She believes our nation's image has already been hurt enough from being in the war and being in there this long that pulling out would be a better option because our image isn't perfect as it is, and cautiously pulling out would ultimately benefit our nation more. Besides, there are always other ways to rebuild our reputation if this war does the job of ruining it.
Armanie – Is the US trying to invade and occupy Afghanistan? Aren’t we supposed to be working with the government of Afghanistan to put a stop to the Taliban and their control throughout the country? Although your friend’s sister is quite blunt in her statements, was or is the Taliban an effective governing force trying to promote economic independence, free will, and basic human rights? I think not. Furthermore, since Afghanistan is one of the poorest nations on the planet, shouldn’t we assist in finding a government that will be more supportive of the people’s rights to live a decent life out of poverty? Overall, this is excellent work. Your sister’s friend makes some good arguments as do you. One thing I would ask your friend: if the war in Afghanistan had always been the number one priority of our government and our military, would we have a different outcome currently? In other words, had we not invaded Iraq in 2003, would the outcome in Afghanistan be different? Again, excellent synopsis of your conversation. Content 6; Organization 6; Total 36/36.
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