[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 29, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H1024-H1025]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             ENGAGING AFGHANISTAN PEACEFULLY, NOT FORCIBLY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Woolsey) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, it is February 29, a date that exists only 
once every 4 years, and yet this is the third February 29, the third 
leap day, that we've been at war in Afghanistan.
  I have my granddaughter here with me. She's 8 years old. She's not 
lived in the United States when we were not at war.
  Last week in particular, we were exposed to the grave dangers and the 
fundamental flaws of our Afghanistan strategy. The week started with 
the burning, accidentally, of several copies of the Koran by U.S. 
troops. That sparked days of violence and protests throughout the 
country. Angry Afghanis tried to storm U.N. compounds and other Western 
installations.
  At our largest military base, thousands, including many who worked at 
the base, gathered to throw rocks and shout ``Death to America.'' Days 
later came the killing of two NATO soldiers, shot in the back of the 
head while working at their desks inside the Afghan interior ministry. 
The killer was apparently a Taliban insurgent who had infiltrated the 
government security forces and penetrated what is supposed to be one of 
the most secure buildings in Kabul.
  Mr. Speaker, it is clear that police officers, the ones we are 
supporting and training to keep militants at bay, are losing patience 
with our continued military occupation of their country. One of them 
told The Washington Post:

       Afghans and the world's Muslims should rise against the 
     foreigners. We have no patience left. We will attack the 
     military foreign people.

  In response to all of this, General John Allen has ordered the 
removal of all NATO personnel from Afghan government ministries in and 
around Kabul. Out in the field, some U.S. soldiers have been instructed 
not to engage too directly with Afghan security forces, even though the 
training of these forces is at the heart of our very mission in 
Afghanistan.
  Mr. Speaker, can there be any doubt, given what has happened over the 
last week or so and the last 10 years, that our 10-year military 
occupation is losing and not winning over there? The hearts and the 
minds of the Afghanis have been lost to the United States.
  The amazing thing is there is talk that the recent unrest might delay 
the withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan. If anything, we need to 
accelerate that withdrawal. It's this war that has sewn the seeds of 
resentment and mistrust. It's this war that has increased instability 
and strengthened the insurgency. It's this war that is fraying the 
partnership and heightening the tension.
  Mr. Speaker, what if we engaged Afghanistan in a different way--
peacefully, rather than forcibly, not in war? What if we sent--at a 
fraction of the cost and pennies on the dollar, I might add--what if we 
sent civilian experts to help rebuild Afghanistan and invest in its 
people?

                              {time}  1050

  What if we focused on humanitarian aid instead of military 
aggression? That's the SMART Security philosophy that I've been 
advocating for many years now.
  I'm convinced that such an approach would show the way to greater 
peace, greater security and prosperity in Afghanistan. We can't begin 
to do this soon enough. Despite everything that's happened--not just 
this past week but over the last decade--the Pentagon continues to tell 
us the Afghanistan strategy is sound and it is succeeding. Do they 
think we're not paying attention?
  It couldn't be clearer that what we're doing isn't working. It's time 
for SMART Security, Mr. Speaker. It's time to bring our troops home, 
and the time is now.

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