[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 24329]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   IN AFGHANISTAN, ``EIGHT IS ENOUGH'' TO PROVE THERE'S NO MILITARY 
                                SOLUTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, today is the eighth anniversary of 
American involvement in Afghanistan. America will soon be at war in 
Afghanistan longer than we were in World War I, World War II, and the 
Korean War combined.
  For 8 long years we've been trying to find a military solution in 
Afghanistan, but we have not succeeded. Hundreds of billions of dollars 
have been spent, and over 850 of our brave troops have died, but the 
insurgency continues to grow. Now President Obama is being urged to 
double down on the military option. Some people believe that all we 
need to do is send in 40,000 more troops, and then we can roll out the 
``mission accomplished'' sign. But the last 8 years of fighting, Madam 
Speaker, have proven beyond doubt that there is no military solution to 
Afghanistan, and escalating the war now will only make things worse, 
not better.
  A study done by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace found 
that ``the presence of foreign troops is the most important element 
driving the resurgence of the Taliban.'' That's why I have joined with 
56 of my colleagues in the House on both sides of the aisle to send a 
letter to President Obama urging him to reject calls to increase the 
number of combat troops in Afghanistan. But I'm not urging the 
President to walk away from Afghanistan; far from it.
  America needs to stay involved, but we need a winning strategy, and 
that means understanding the plight of the Afghan people and what they 
need so that they can reject the Taliban and violent extremism. They 
desperately need food, education, economic development, agricultural 
enrichment, better infrastructure, protection from disease, and a 
government that they can trust.
  Afghanistan is easy pickings for violent extremists because it's 
virtually the poorest nation on Earth, and without assistance from the 
outside world, the Afghan people have little hope for a better future. 
The United Nations issues its annual Human Development Index on Monday, 
and it ranks the countries of the world on criteria such as life 
expectancy, literacy, school enrollment, and gross domestic product. 
Out of 182 countries, Afghanistan ranks 181, next to last.
  That's why, Madam Speaker, the United States must break from the 
military-only approach that hasn't worked for the past 8 years and 
change our mission to emphasize development, reconstruction, 
humanitarian aid, and civil affairs. NGOs and military forces can be 
directed to support these efforts. That would improve the lives of the 
Afghan people, and it would achieve the crucial goal of removing the 
impression that America is an occupying country.
  We must also step up our diplomatic efforts. We've got to do a better 
job of engaging all the Nations in the region that have an interest in 
stabilizing Afghanistan. President Obama himself has recognized that 
military power alone is not the answer to our problems. In his 
inaugural address, he said that--and I quote him--``Our power alone 
cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please . . . Our 
power grows through its prudent use (and) our security emanates from 
the justness of our cause, the force of our example, and the tempering 
qualities of humility and restraint.''
  President Obama is right to believe that America does best when we 
demonstrate our commitment to peace, to democracy, to human rights and 
progress.
  Madam Speaker, I urge the President to remember his words and use 
them to guide his decisions about Afghanistan in the coming days. If he 
does, he will take important steps toward defeating violent extremism 
and making America and the world safer.

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