Instead of editorials and opinion pieces, which is what all of the previous blog posts have been about, I am posting news articles for the fourth and final round of blog posts before Project III is due.
The Washington Post reports in this news article, which is titled "Death toll in Afghan war nears 1,000," on the approaching milestone of 1,000 American combat deaths in the war in Afghanistan. The article points out that "[t]he impending milestone of 1,000 deaths hasn't drawn much notice in the United States or in Afghanistan, despite the Obama administration's focus on the war and the launch this month of the largest U.S.-NATO military operation in the country since 2001." The article then points out a number of possible reasons for why this milestone "hasn't drawn much notice in the United States."
For your comment, explain why you think people in the United States seem less concerned about the number of military deaths in Afghanistan. Is it because the United States has become "more sober-minded in the way it perceives the war"? Or is it because the "American people and the governing class have accepted that war has become a permanent condition," as retired Army Col. Andrew Bacevich suggests? Or is there another reason for this muted response? Perhaps there is a general consensus that the war is necessary and that combat deaths are an inevitability? A belief that the number of combat deaths is relatively small compared to other wars? Or is it apathy or ignorance on the part of the American public? Or some other reason?
Here is the address for the article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/23/AR2010022305566_pf.html
Your response, whether you respond to this or the first option, must be at least 150 words in length and is due by March 9th.
Finally, notice that the article contains several links to recent articles on the war in Afghanistan (the highlighted blue text is clickable and will take you to other news articles published by the Washington Post). If you haven't begun your research for Project III (remember that you need to bring in as evidence information from two news articles or editorials from newspaper websites to support your argument about the war in Afghanistan), these articles might be a good place to start.
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15 comments:
I think that the American people do not seem as concerned with the rising number of death in Afghanistan because most people do not know much about the Afghan war and what the United States is doing in that country. The Iraqi war seems to be a bigger problem to most people, and since the Afghan War has been going on for nine years, a lot of the population has gotten used to it and do consider it a “permanent condition.” Another reason that the American population does not seem concerned with the number of deaths is probably because the number of deaths in Afghanistan is not as high as the number of deaths in Iraq. I do not think that America has become “sober-minded in the way it perceives war” because a lot of people still have strong beliefs about the war; people just do not know as much about the Afghan war.
-Kendra Meadors
The war in Afghanistan is closing in on the milestone of 1000 deaths and the article says the public don’t seem to be that concerned. I don’t think it isn’t that the American public isn’t concerned but we are tired of beating our heads against brick walls and our words falling on deaf ears. The war in Iraq was much more publicized when it hit the milestone of 1000 death, yet it was when we first went into the war. The American public still cares we have soldiers in harms’ way and want them home yet we have been struggling to do so and have it be known by politicians for 9 years now. The public has become callused to the fact we are in a war that the politicians won’t end or devise a plan to end and then stick with. I think the statement "We've learned that the public doesn't react reflexively to the tote board of [war deaths]," by Peter Feaver represents the politicians outlook on the war. The American public complains about the deaths, yet the politicians see those complaining as a misrepresentation of the whole. I think that we no longer need to be in the Middle East. America has enough problems currently in our own country that we don’t need to be spending our money to rebuild other countries. Take the billions we spend on the war and let’s stimulate our economy, or here is an idea, pay off some of the deficit we have ran up and stop borrowing from other countries. Brian Clark
I believe the people in the United States seen less concerned about the number of military deaths in Afghanistan is because the American people and the governing class have accepted that the war has become a permanent condition. The American people have stopped paying as much attention to what is going on in Afghanistan because we have come to the conclusion that we will always have troops there and it will always be an on-going fight. The United States of America mourns every time they lose a troop. It’s not easy to see a family member, friend, or colleague go, but that’s one of the many chances that has to be taken when stepping into a war zone and fighting for your country. We have seen many more deaths from other wars in the past, but it was necessary to protect the country that we live in. American people may not know or pay as much attention to what is going on in Afghanistan, but they will continue to support our troops and appreciate what they are doing for them everyday.
-Kayla King
I think that the milestone of 1,000 deaths hasn’t drawn much attention in the United States or in Afghanistan because of the passage of time that has occurred. The article says that the first person killed in Afghanistan was on Oct. 10, 2001. Ever since that date, 996 military personnel have been killed. That is over a span of eight years. The article also points out that 4,366 people have died in Iraq since 2003. I believe people have become used to the war in Afghanistan and have accepted that it’s a permanent condition. With this concept of the war being a permanent condition, the American people see the number of deaths in Afghanistan, and see the number of years that this war has lasted, and think that 996 deaths in about eight years isn’t an extremely high death toll. But, when Americans saw the number of deaths in the Iraq war, I think people reacted stronger because more people were killed in a shorter amount of time than in the war in Afghanistan.
Jonathan Hayes
While the number of servicemen killed in Afghanistan continues to rise, the overall presence of war is dominated by the Iraq theater. Due to the controversy surrounding weapons of mass destruction and the U.S.’s shock and awe invasion strategy, Iraq is seen as the main theater of conflict while Afghanistan is a sideshow in the war effort. While the fighting has been equally important, it has lacked many of the publicity attracting factors present in the Iraq war. Also, casualties of war have been occurring at a considerably slower rate in Afghanistan than Iraq, which has experienced 4,366 causalities according to the article. I believe that the reduced rate of wartime deaths is more acceptable to the public, as it does not merit as much news coverage as large attacks might. Overall, the reduced responsiveness of the American public to wartime deaths in Afghanistan is due to a lower amount of media coverage owing the nature of the conflict.
-Jim Burnett
I believe the reason the American people seem unconcerned with the increasing number of deaths in the Afghanistan war is because they have learned that war has become a permanent condition. After nine years of fighting this war, many Americans lose sight of what is really happening in Afghanistan. It has almost become less of a concern to many Americans because they are so used to this never ending war. Like Army Col. Andrew Bacevich says, "Protracted war has become a widely accepted part of our politics." This is incredibly true because many have grown numb to the war and feel it will always fall in our political concerns. This leads to another reason why Americans are unconcerned with the rising death toll. Many Americans are very ignorant to what is happening in Afghanistan. Because the war has been going on for so many years, many Americans have stopped keeping up with it. Without knowing much or being involved in the war, many do not understand the frighteningly high number of deaths that have occurred over the years.
-Mallory McSpadden
Well to think that the death toll in Afghanistan is nearing 1,000 is kind of surreal. I hadn't heard much about the death toll in the news or newspaper so I haven't been keeping tabs on it at all. Initially, when I saw the death toll I thought wow that's not a lot compared to the time we've been over there. As I read the article, I noticed that the death toll in Iraq is 4,366 which gets a lot more of the press. I just think that the American population has grown numb to the news just because of the time that has elapsed. Like the article states, this is being considered a "permanent condition". As we continue to support our troops, this war may go on longer with no end in sight leading only to a constant death toll. The media will keep the war statistics under control till we succeed in Afghanistan.
-Xavier Scaife
I think that the reason Americans have not taken much notice of the 1,000 death milestone is a combination of all of the reasons listed. The war has been going on so long and we realized a long time ago that it was not going to be over any time soon so everybody just thinks of war as our normal state now. As retired Army Col. Andrew Bacevich said, “American people and the governing class have accepted that war has become a permanent condition.” Another reason that I believe is contributing to the general lack of response on the part of the American people is that death during war is inevitable and the number of deaths is relatively low compared to all of our previous wars. Significantly more Americans were killed in one day on 9/11 than in the entire war in Iraq so, although it is a tragedy that should not be overlooked, it is not seen as a huge number. The third reason, ignorance, is also a contributing factor. I consider myself more informed than most people in America and I do not even know as much about the war as I should.
Elizabeth Hopper
The war in Afghanistan has been going on for 9 years and it seems like there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel for American troops. There are many people who are numb to the war situation and aren’t concerned for the number of deaths in the war. But is it necessary for the 1000 deaths? It isn’t clear on what people really think about the war and the deaths related to it. I think that the deaths are very unnecessary and we need to use more drones to control the death toll. If drones are the answer to mothers and wives being able to see their sons and husbands come home alive instead of in a box than so be it. But when men sign up for the military they are very aware of the risks in enlisting. Any war is dangerous and will have casualties, but that is how wars go. The fewer casualties in this war the better I say.
Tori Manning
I believe that the American people care about every life that is lost overseas, be it in Iraq or in Afghanistan. The reason, I believe, that people “seem to not care” is because of the vast amount of time between the deaths of soldiers. There have been 996 deaths over a span of nine years. There was more attention to deaths in the Iraq war because that is where we started but also because deaths were much more frequent. Retired Army Col. Andrew Bacevich suggests that "American people and the governing class have accepted that war has become a permanent condition. Protracted war has become a widely accepted part of our politics.” I’m not sure if I believe this is completely true. Yes, I believe that the American people have come to the conclusion that this was is not ending anytime soon and we will have friends and loved ones overseas for a long time, but I do believe that people still have hope for the end. The most surprising information to me was the amount of soldiers that did not die on their first tour but instead have passed during their second or third. "There are enormous and disturbing moral implications in the tacit agreement we have made to have such a small percentage of our population bear so great a burden," Bacevich said. "But there is no recognition of it or desire to raise questions about it." This is a bigger problem to me then the apparent lack of Americans recognizing the loss of 1,000. It should be more recognized that the people who are fighting this war is a very small population, this is something that I don’t believe the majority of the population realizes and I believe, if more publicized, people would express more concern.
Ariel Anglin
People have not responded to the Afghan war in the same way as the Iraqi war for several reasons. One, the death toll of about one thousand is a fifth of the death toll in the separate theater of Iraq. Also, American’s see the wars in different lights. The Afghanistan war began in 2001 right after September 11. The Iraq war began after a UN investigation of reports that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction that were never found. Because Afghanistan isn’t surrounded by the same controversy as the Iraq war, Americans probably believe both that the war in Afghanistan is more necessary and that the sacrifices made by American soldiers in Afghanistan are also just as necessary. On the issue about whether Americans have become accepting of a war without a foreseeable or predictable future, Both candidates ran on a platform of continued involvement in Afghanistan to get elected.
-Jacob Clemmons
As the death toll for the Afghanistan war approaches 1000 US deaths, it is no surprise that the amount of attention given to the figure is almost zero. As the economy at home continues to struggle, most US citizens are not affected by a war thousands of miles away that has become “a permanent condition” in the minds of not only US citizen but Also Afghani citizens. Instead we are distracted by our daily lives here at home so the war has become a secondary or even tertiary interest. I also think that because of the initial support for the Afghanistan war was so great, the relatively low casualty count makes the mission seem almost worthy of continuation due to the Taliban’s connection to the November 11 attacks. Since we haven’t been attacked since 2001, we feel that this current operation does more good than harm to the United States of America with regards to security. At the end of the day it all comes down to the information or lack thereof of the details pertaining to the current operation. What most of us cant understand simply does not affect our lives.
-Charles W. Pemberton
I feel like the American people are not as concerned with the number of deaths over seas because we have a lot of other things going on here in the United States. With our economy plumeting and the added stress that creates at home, we are less concerned with what is going on over seas. I also think that the lines of the war are not clearly drawn for the American people to understand. If we feel like we do not understand war and are not ever able to understand it, we are not very likely to put forth as much war efforts.
I also feel like our society as a whole wants to think about other things rather than war. The media and advertisements are not advertising war efforts and what we can do to help the war here at home. I feel like, in comparison to other wars where the general public knew who the enemy was and knew what was going on, a spirit of “USA” and country-wide pride was more evident. Our unawareness of the deaths from this war in Afghanistan are a result of the unknown factor of this war, the lack of support and “at-home” efforts portrayed through media and advertising, and with comparison to previous wars, this war is much more unclear.
Melissa Gramlich
I think the American people are not as concerned about the military deaths that happen in Afghanistan these days because it is old news. It's extremely sad to think of it this way, but this is how it seems. In the beginning of the war, military deaths were like chin-droppers. It would be on the news every time a soldier died. Now, I think it is accepted and people are just used to it. Because the war has gone on so long and will continue to, I think people see it as inevitable for military deaths. The situation is awful and I think we should focus more on supporting our troops. I don't necessarily think that the war should be going on; however, I have talked to some marines and they want it to go on and continue fighting. The best we can do as Americans is support their hard work. Some have supported us for up to nine years! It's the least we could do.
Kaylin Minihan
I believe that the death toll rate for the Afghan war is not as detrimental to the American people because of the media of the modern age. During the Vietnam War there was a draft, people were being sent to war that had no intentions of going. This struck home, not only because the death rate was much larger, but a connection between the American population and the war was evident. In every home, people were watching the same channel, reading the same editorial, and listening to the same broadcast about the war efforts. Today it’s a different story, with all the choices made available to the American people in terms of media, it’s easy to change the channel and find something else to immerse yourself in. Also we can’t overlook time as a precedent for comfort. As of know the war has been going on for eight years, this amount of time allows issues that you are not directly engaged in, to fall to the waist side. It’s not that the war is of unimportants, rather it is recycled with all the other issues at hand, such as the economy.
Bkline
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