Jun 23, 2011
[Editors' note: As part of Sojourners' campaign to end the war in Afghanistan, we will run a weekly Afghanistan news digest to educate our readers about the latest news and developments related to the war, the U.S. military's strategy, and the people impacted by our decisions. Read more about our campaign at www.sojo.net/afghanistan.]
- Obama announces plan to bring home 33,000 troops: "President Obama charted a middle course Wednesday for ending the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, outlining a departure plan that will remove troops faster than his commanders had requested but more slowly than many of his political allies would like."
- Cost of Wars a Rising Issue as Obama Weighs Troop Levels: "But behind his words will be an acute awareness of what $1.3 trillion in spending on two wars in the past decade has meant at home: a ballooning budget deficit and a soaring national debt at a time when the economy is still struggling to get back on its feet."
- Robert Gates confirms U.S.-Taliban talks in Afghanistan: "Outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has confirmed that the U.S. is holding 'outreach' talks with members of the Taliban in Afghanistan."
- War Evolves With Drones, Some Tiny as Bugs: "Two miles from the cow pasture where the Wright Brothers learned to fly the first airplanes, military researchers are at work on another revolution in the air: shrinking unmanned drones, the kind that fire missiles into Pakistan and spy on insurgents in Afghanistan, to the size of insects and birds."
- Obama, Afghanistan, and the wages of sin: "Faced with unrealistic targets for post-war peace and stability, "good enough" becomes the new goal of US policy."
- Afghanistan's Last Locavores: "Many urban Americans idealize 'green living' and 'slow food.' But few realize that one of the most promising models for sustainable living is not to be found on organic farms in the United States, but in Afghanistan. A majority of its 30 million citizens still grow and process most of the food they consume. They are the ultimate locavores."
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Hannah Lythe is policy and outreach associate at Sojourners.
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