Anti-war/anti-sweatshop/greens now face a terrible conundrum. On the one hand, they want an end to the violence in Afghanistan as a result of the terrorist attacks originating from that region, while on the other hand they normally advocate against the very cure most likely to stabilize the region once America ceases its military action and the Taliban ceases to rule. They now must choose peace over all other ideologies.
The best method for insuring long term stability in the region which breeds terrorism is improving the economy of Afghanistan, as well as that of the entire Arab world. It is quite obvious that an exacerbating factor to Islamic fundamentalism is the abject poverty that has reigned for years in a region torn by war and lacking the natural resources to sustain themselves without becoming industrialized.
This industrialization, without which Afghanistan will not know prosperity and we will not know security, will necessitate a period of factory production — which will, in turn, necessitate factory-style working conditions and increased pollution associated with industrialization.
It is quite clear for the individual in the mainstream of American opinion — those that support reasonable strikes against those responsible for attacking our homeland — that the conditions workers will face in the new version of Afghanistan will actually be an improvement over the current lot in life for many there and that improving technology will insure that the increased emissions of greenhouse gasses will be tempered over time with more modern technology.
Obviously the tendency by leftist ideologically-driven groups — those that make the loudest noise on America’s left-leaning academy — will want the government to stop the strikes, begin massive handouts and totally alter our foreign policy. That will not do, so these groups must come to a difficult resignation. They will have to put their own security in the hands of corporations that will invest in, and reap the rewards of, industrializing Afghanistan and any other nation that will have its current regime toppled if it continues supporting terrorists.
Leftists, you now must choose between lasting domestic security versus squabbling for your normal political favorite targets. For the rest of us, the decision should be clear. For our long-term security, after destroying terrorist networks we must help industrialize countries that currently support terrorism.
Bret Jacobson is a senior business major
and publisher of the Oregon Commentator.