Christians Must Call For This War to End

"I didn't want to die, now, but I didn't have any fear of doing what I had to do. I knew what was happening was wrong. And I had an opportunity to do something about it."

- Catherine Burks-Brooks, 71, who, as a senior at Tennessee A&I State University, took part in the first Freedom Ride in May 1961. (Source: USA Today)

+ Sign up to receive "Verse and Voice" - our daily quote and Bible verse e-mail

Christians Must Call For This War to End

Get a free issue of Sojourners Donate to support Sojourners

There is no more room or time for excuses. The war in Afghanistan -- now the longest war in American history -- no longer has any justification, and I am calling upon Christians, along with other people of good, moral sense, to lead the effort to finally end this war and bring our troops home. On moral, financial, and strategic grounds, the continuation of the war in Afghanistan cannot be justified. The completion of the largest and most expensive manhunt in history for Osama bin Laden must be a turning point to completely rethink our response to terrorism. The threats of terrorists are still real, but it is now clear that full-scale military action is not the most effective response.

It was the campaign against bin Laden and al Qaeda that was always used to justify the war in Afghanistan. General David Petraeus has said there are about 100 al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan. We have more than 100,000 American troops and another 40,000 coalition soldiers in Afghanistan. That means 1,400 soldiers for each al Qaeda fighter. It costs about $1 million a year to deploy and support each American soldier — or more than $100 billion a year total. That breaks down to our country spending $1 billion per year, per al Qaeda fighter. Every deficit hawk in America should now oppose this war. The cost is simply too high, especially when compared with all the painful budget choices this failed war is causing us to make.

Even more important is the human cost of 1,570 Americans killed, more than 10,000 wounded, and many more families separated -- lives disrupted and changed forever. And Christians must always care about the casualties on the other side, especially innocent lives who are the collateral damage of war. From 2007 to 2010 that number is at least 10,000. This war is not worth that human cost. The damages it causes far outweigh the possible results, and that makes this war unjustifiable. As Chuck Colson recently said, “Maintaining 100,000 troops in Afghanistan no longer meets the just war criteria.”

Continuing the war will lead to greater human and financial costs without a clear understanding of what success could even look like. What began as an understandable action to pursue those who launched the attack on September 11, has now become a war of occupation in Afghanistan; a massive counter-insurgency; the defense of an utterly corrupt and incompetent government; and an impossible effort at military-led nation-building. Long term and sustained strategies of development and democracy building will not be accomplished by an endless, massive military occupation and counter-insurgency; in fact, our current strategy will prevent long-term nation-building.

As more and more people have pointed out, the operation that found and killed bin Laden was not the massive war of counter-insurgency in Afghanistan. It was the result of smart intelligence, good detective work, and aggressive law-enforcement work -- policing, rather than war-making. Even many conservatives have pointed this out, as George Will recently wrote, “bin Laden was brought down by intelligence gathering that more resembles excellent police work than a military operation.”

I met with veterans three weeks ago and heard them say one word over and over again as their moral judgment on what they saw and experienced in Afghanistan -- “cost.” The cost of this war, in any terms, is just too high, and the war must end. This is a nonpartisan issue. I was honored to stand at that same press conference with two of the most consistent and courageous congressional voices, against this war, Democrat Jim McGovern and Republican Walter Jones. What convinced Jones was his regular visits to the wounded veterans of his home district. He saw and felt their pain, he saw the results of the war, and concluded it was not worth the cost.

The time has come to end the war in Afghanistan. Many have shown how it is possible to end it responsibly. (See Sojourners magazine’s March issue.) The war must end now, and I believe the faith community must lead the way.

Jim Wallis is the author of Rediscovering Values: A Guide for Economic and Moral Recovery, and CEO of Sojourners. He blogs at www.godspolitics.com. Follow Jim on Twitter @JimWallis.

	E-mail this article to friends
	Share this article on Facebook
	Comment on this article on the God's Politics Blog

 The recent action in finding Osama bin Laden and ending his terrorist threat has made our nation even more aware of the need to end the war in Afghanistan. Our government must commit to withdrawing our troops from Afghanistan. The FY2011 cost of the Afghan war has hit $113 billion, and the human cost is even greater.

+Tell President Obama and Vice President Biden to keep their commitment to start troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in July 2011.

+ See what's new on the blog of Jim Wallis and friends

 Afghanistan Weekly Digest: Afghan Mothers. Taliban. Osama bin Laden
by Hannah Lythe
"Sadly, it is not surprising that Afghanistan is again ranked as the worst place in the world to be a mother, according to Save the Children's annual State of the World's Mothers report, released Tuesday."
+ Click to continue

The Violence We Live By
by Debra Dean Murphy
You can detect it when a politician or journalist uses a word like "barbaric" to describe the actions of any suicide bomber before, on, or after 9/11: the clear assumption that "Islamic Terrorism" represents an uncontainable hostility toward modernity.
+ Click to continue

When the Wicked Perish
by Tim King
If I had been in a baseball stadium on Sunday night, I would have been chanting "USA! USA!" My first reaction when I read the news in the minutes leading up to the President's announcement was that of elation.
+ Click to continue

Osama, Obama, and Twitter
by Betsy Shirley
While I believe strongly in peace and human dignity, abhorring acts of terrorism and any acts of violence, I have to wonder: What does it mean if we "welcome" the death of our enemies?
+ Click to continue

Is It Moral to Celebrate a Person's Death?
by Jim Wallis
Pumping our fists in victory or celebrating in the streets is probably not the best Christian response to anyone's death, even the death of a dangerous and violent enemy.
+ Click to continue

Bin Laden's Gone -- Now Let's End the War
by David Cortright
The killing of Osama bin Laden brings partial closure to the long war against al Qaeda. It is a credit to the police, intelligence, and military Special Forces professionals who carried out the job, and to President Obama for maintaining persistent focus on eliminating the threat from al Qaeda.
+ Click to continue

Osama bin Laden: The Death of the 'Madman with a Sword'
by Rose Marie Berger
The mix of relief and grief displayed by crowds in the streets outside the White House and the Capitol building was a human response to the news that U.S. military forces had killed Osama bin Laden.
+ Click to continue

Are We Closer to Peace After Bin Laden's Death?
by Lindsay Branham
The news of Osama bin Laden's death rippled across social networking sites Sunday night. I went down to the White House as thousands gathered in near hysteria, chanting, yelling, and waving oversized U.S. flags through the night air, tepid with the thick swell of the energetic joy of the young crowd..
+ Click to continue

After Bin Laden, People of Faith Must Transcend Triumphalism
by Charles Kimball
For more than a decade, Osama bin Laden has been Exhibit A in the contemporary manifestations of the lethal mix of religion and politics.
+ Click to continue

How Should We Respond to the Death of Osama bin Laden?
by Jim Wallis
This morning most Americans are feeling a sense of relief at the news that Osama bin Laden is dead. He was truly an apostle of hate, a dedicated purveyor of violence in response to every grievance, a manipulator and distorter of religion for political purposes, and a man responsible for the deaths of thousands of people.
+ Click to continue

From the Malls of America to the Destitute and Lost
by Mimi Haddad
Do you find yourself reluctant to attend women's retreats, Bible studies, or conferences because too often they focus on fashion, dieting, women's emotions, and new forms of abdominal exercises?
+ Click to continue

Friday Links Round Up: Royal Pizza. Gamification. Three Words on Art.
by Claire Lorentzen
Royal Pizza. Gamification. Three Words on Art. Here's a little roundup of links from around the Web you may have missed this week.
+ Click to continue

Where are the Women?
by Vanessa Ortiz
Well, the last time I checked, women were in the front lines of civil resistance struggles in Bahrain and Yemen.
+ Click to continue

Big, Fat Kisses
by Hannah Lythe
My first date was a big fat sloppy hour and a half of kissing (sorry Mom and Dad) supported by the screenplay of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
+ Click to continue

God Bless Donald Trump and the Birthers
by Valerie Elverton Dixon
I am only slightly less furious today than I was yesterday when President Obama released his long-form birth certificate.
+ Click to continue

African-American Clergy on Budget Cuts
by Barbara Williams-Skinner
On April 4th, the global community commemorated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and remembered that 43 years ago he was on his way to Washington, D.C. for the Poor Peoples' March to bring a message to lawmakers on behalf of the poor.
+ Click to continue

+ Sign up to receive our "Daily Digest" e-mail - the latest headlines on critical issues

Top Stories:

Wallis to address Justice Revival
The Youngstown Vindicator
Writing for the Youngstown Vindicator, reporter Ashley Luthern previews this week's Justice Revival, which was organized by The Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative.

Religious leaders warn of gloating over bin Laden death
Florida Times-Union
Florida Times-Union reporter Jeff Brumley writes about the reactions from local and national religious leaders, including Rev. Jim Wallis, in response to the news of the death of Osama bin Laden.

As faith coalition for the poor grows, so does conservative opposition
CNN Belief Blog
Eric Marrapodi, co-editor of CNN's Belief Blog, writes about Sojourners recent efforts regarding the federal budget and the conservative backlash that has resulted.

"Sojourners in the news" articles are the most recent news clippings that mention Sojourners in any way - whether favorably or unfavorably. Though we provide the text on our site for your convenience, we do not necessarily endorse the views of these articles or their source publications.

GET THE MAGAZINE: Subscribe today

CONTACT US: General inquiries: sojourners@sojo.net | Advertising: advertising@sojo.net | About Us

PRIVACY NOTICE: Sojourners won't trade, sell, or give away your e-mail address. Read our privacy policy.