The Real War on Terrorism, Part 2

@Mother Jones:

In 2001, shortly after 9/11, we invaded Afghanistan. The purpose was to topple the Taliban regime, destroy al-Qaeda, and ultimately capture Osama bin Laden.

We all know how that plan turned out.

There is a horrific, frightening, and telling photo essay ("The Hidden Half: A Photo Essay on Women in Afghanistan) on the effects the Taliban insurgency has had on Afghan women and girls.

The author reminds us that former First Lady Laura Bush said that fighting terrorism included giving Afghan women their rights back. Unfortunately, Afghan women's rights are disturbingly infringed upon:

Six years later, the burka is more common than before, an "overwhelming majority" of Afghan women suffer domestic violence, according to aid group Womankind, and honor killings are on the rise. Health care is so threadbare that every 28 minutes a mother dies in childbirth—the secondhighest maternal mortality rate in the world. Girls attend school at half the rate boys do, and in 2006 at least 40 teachers were killed by the Taliban.

(To the faint-hearted: the photos are real and intense.)

Stay tuned for part 3 when I discuss what was wrong with the war on terror and what the steps the Obama administration should take in the coming years.

The Real War on Terrorism

The War on Terrorism, as defined by the Bush Administration, was not an adequate 'war'. Even worse, their definitions of 'terror' and 'homeland' resulted in damaging America's reputation and goodwill and creating more reasons for Ayman al-Zawahiri and Bin Laden to continue recruiting.

I hope the next four years will learn from the mistakes of the Bush Administration and take on a narrowly-defined "war on terror" and seriously address the humanitarian disasters.

For example, the Taliban has been terrorizing women and girls in certain parts of Pakistan. They have banned Pakistani girls from attending school, threatening to shoot acid at them if they try--just like they did in Afghanistan. This is a serious violation of women's rights. Finding constructive and multilateral solutions to address this problem is a better use of American ingenuity and power.