A Sad Legacy

The long war in Afghanistan…

Now, when all is said and done,

What started out as a war with a cause,

Turned out being a losing one.

 

The longest war in U.S. history…

Did we ever have clear goals?

Explanations for why we stayed there

For twenty years are full of holes.

 

At first, going after al-Qaeda

And Bin Laden was our claim.

Eventually, it turned out that

Nation-building became our aim.

 

Propping up the Karzai regime…

To some that was a colossal flop.

We organized from top to bottom

Instead of going from bottom to top.

 

A government, unstable, corrupt,

In a country full of feuding tribes…

Democracy to the Afghans became

A system mainly built on bribes.

 

We thought we had made headway there,

But then we encountered a stumbling block:

Our focus shifted when we were misled

To get involved in a war in Iraq.

 

We tried to fight the opium trade--

Another problem we tried to master.

Unfortunately, it turned out that

Our efforts were a complete disaster.

 

Others with whom we negotiated,

Sometimes took us for a ride,

Leaving us without an inkling

As to who was on whose side.

 

Warlords who we know had committed

Atrocities, became our friends.

Scenarios where that plays out

Usually have disastrous ends.

 

A dark pit of endless money

That led the way to grift and greed…

We were bent on building projects

That the Afghans didn't need.

 

When we bombed a wedding party

And a hospital, let it be noted

That those in command hid our blunders.

The truth was often sugar-coated.

 

"We are NOT nation-building,"

And "Victory is in sight," we heard.

One thing we should know by now

Is we can't hang on their every word.

 

We lament the lives that were lost

And all who were wounded during the war.

We also lament the loss of trust

In our leaders. That will be hard to restore.

 

-by Bob B (1-21-22)