O My America — A Plan for Afghanistan

by Lawrence Bush

Here’s a radical suggestion for ending the war in Afghanistan — for ending our government’s ongoing waste of billions of precious dollars to shore up an incredibly corrupt government and transform an incredibly resistant society.

I would spread the word that during the course of a particular period of time, say, for two months, any Afghan woman 15 and older, and any Afghan girl child with her mother, can approach any American soldier or other personnel and request sanctuary. They will immediately be placed under protection and given passage to United States or to any other country participating in the war against the Taliban. They will receive transportation, housing, jobs and orientation in their new host countries, where local Muslim communities will be mobilized to assist. After these women have left Afghanistan, their menfolk can apply to join them and go through an intensive vetting process to screen out terrorists.

The soldiers would be instructed: As soon as any Afghan woman speaks to you, she is under your protection. Lots of women soldiers should be on active patrol during this period, and door-to-door patrolling would be the policy.

After the time period is over, all foreign troops can be removed from Afghanistan and the Taliban will eventually, probably quite rapidly, take over. Part of the money saved by terminating the war effort would be devoted to the two or three hundred thousand women who, I expect, would seek sanctuary.

The fate of Afghan women under the Taliban is the only point of conscience that gives progressives pause about a precipitous withdrawal. This proposal deals with that issue by making it possible for Afghan women to escape their oppression and change their lives.