A Limited, Modified Pullout From Afghanistan- Et Tu, CodePink?

[Orwellian_Ghost]

A Limited, Modified Pullout From Afghanistan
Et Tu, CodePink?

By SHARON SMITH

Eight years into the war on Afghanistan -- and with no end in sight -- seems a peculiar time for antiwar activists to claim that U.S. forces need to stay there even longer for the sake of the Afghan people.

Yet Yifat Susskind, Communications Director for the human rights organization MADRE, recently argued on CommonDreams.org, "’Bring the Troops Home’ is a bumper sticker, not a policy.”She continued, “For MADRE, U.S. obligations stem from the fact that Afghanistan's poverty, violence against women, and political corruption are, in part, results of U.S. policy over the past 30 years.”

CODEPINK co-founders Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans began arguing for a “responsible” withdrawal after their recent visit to Afghanistan, which focused on discovering Afghan women’s attitudes toward the U.S. occupation. While there, they met with a hand picked group of politically connected Afghan women that included President Karzai’s sister-in-law, Wazhma Karzai.

According to CodePink, many of these members of parliament and businesswomen opposed sending an additional 40,000 U.S. soldiers to Afghanistan but also said they rely on U.S. troops for their own personal safety. On October 6th, the Christian Science Monitor published an interview with Benjamin and reported on her change of heart based on conversations with some of the women she met in Kabul. For example, CSM reported, “Shinkai Karokhail, an Afghan member of Parliament and woman activist, told them. ‘International troop presence here is a guarantee for my safety.’”

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http://www.counterpunch.com/sharon10202009.html