[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 178 (Thursday, December 3, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H13499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CIVILIAN SURGE?

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask: What happened to the 
civilian surge in President Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan? In 
his address to the Nation on Tuesday night, the President said that 
there are three parts to his Afghanistan strategy: a military effort, a 
civilian surge, and partnership with Pakistan. But while the President 
spoke at great length about the military effort and about Pakistan, he 
gave virtually no details about the civilian surge. In fact, he devoted 
only one sentence of his speech to it--a brief sentence about 
agricultural assistance.
  Earlier this year, with great fanfare, the President unveiled his 
plans for a civilian engagement. He said it would help the Afghan 
people to rebuild their economy, infrastructure, education system, 
justice system, government, and civil society. I supported this policy 
because I believe that helping the Afghan people to improve their lives 
is the best way to defeat violent extremists. But it's now painfully 
obvious that the White House has all but forgotten about the civilian 
surge. It appears to have been lost in his plan to escalate the war 
with 30,000 more troops, which is deeply disappointing to me. But it's 
not the only reason why I oppose the escalation. I oppose it because 
the American people don't support it and can't afford it. In fact, 
America's military spending in Afghanistan alone next year will now 
exceed the entire official military budget of every other country in 
the world.
  The escalation will also lead the Afghan people to see our troops as 
an occupying army, and the history of Afghanistan shows that the Afghan 
people will never accept a foreign occupation. As a result, the plan 
will boomerang because it will help the Taliban when they are 
recruiting for new members.
  The escalation will also lead to more casualties of our troops and it 
will continue to stretch our military forces, which are already 
stretched much too thin. It will reduce the dwell time for our troops 
back home between deployments, placing even greater burdens on them and 
on their families.
  The President's new strategy, Mr. Speaker, also doesn't include a 
realistic exit plan. The President talks about transferring 
responsibility for the war to Afghanistan within 18 months, but since 
there is very little chance that the Afghans will be ready by then, our 
troops are likely to be stuck for many, many years to come.
  Finally, I'm disappointed in the President's plan because it 
continues to rely on the military option that has failed. At the same 
time, it ignores the far more effective alternative that is available 
to us. That alternative is smart security. Smart security calls for a 
strong emphasis on diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and economic 
development for the Afghan people. That is what will stabilize 
Afghanistan. That is what will win the hearts and minds of the Afghan 
people.
  More broadly, smart security includes a comprehensive plan that would 
eliminate the root causes of extremism in Afghanistan and elsewhere. It 
dismantles existing networks of extremists, and it would stop the 
spread of nuclear and conventional arms around the world. I have 
proposed a smart security platform for the 21st century, Mr. Speaker, 
and it's in my bill, House Resolution 363. I invite every Member of the 
House to read it and to work with me to implement it.
  Mr. Speaker, I'm as committed to defeating extremism in Afghanistan 
as anyone, and I do not believe that simply pulling our troops out of 
Afghanistan overnight is the right way to go. But I do believe that the 
Afghan people need political, economic, and social solutions for their 
problems. They do not need a military solution. That's why I will join 
with others throughout our Nation in the days ahead to oppose the 
escalation of this war and to urge the President to shift to smart 
security to make our Nation and the world a safer place.

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