Non-winnable Wars

Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president, is the prime example of why the United States should not continue with the war in Afghanistan, or any other war. The Karzai administration has been accused of corruption ever since it came into power in Afghanistan. There is much evidence to support this, and Karzai has even stated that he is going to join the Taliban. If Karzai has been involved in corruption for so many years, then why does the United States support this man? Why is there no end in sight for the war in Afghanistan? One reason my not be terrorism at all, but oil. The United States is very interested in having a pipeline built through Afghanistan, one that would not pass through Russia or Iran. This may be the reason why the Obama administration continues to support the corrupt government of Hamid Karzai; however, the war in Afghanistan is not the only war in which taxpayer money is going to waste.

Over the weekend, Secretary of State Clinton, along with Secretary of Defense Gates, appeared on Face the Nation. Bob Schieffer asked them if Karzai was still welcomed in the United States, in which Clinton responded, “Absolutely. And we're looking forward to his visit.” Karzai is still welcomed in the United States, despite the fact that he is likely helping his brother with the heroin drug trade; the continued support of the United States towards Karzai protects the Afghan opium trade. This may be seen as the price to pay to combat terrorism, but the fact of the matter is, Al-Qaeda is no longer operating within Afghanistan.

The United States is at war in Afghanistan, despite the fact that Hamid Karzai is a corrupt official; despite the fact that our presence in Afghanistan protects Karzai's brother's opium trade; despite the fact that Al-Qaeda is no longer in Afghanistan. These facts lead to the conclusion that our government, during the Bush years, or Obama years, is full of hypocrisy. We the people, as law abiding citizens and taxpayers, are witnesses as to how our government wastes money in unnecessary wars. The war in Afghanistan, in order to build the unbuildable Afghan pipeline; the war in Iraq; the non-winnable war on drugs.

Are any of these wars necessary?