To: The Dallas Morning News 
Date:  October 29, 2009
Subject: The Taliban a threat to the whole world 
Result: printed (they cut out about half, but no problem)

  

Dear Editor,

People say we need to send more troops to Afghanistan. There is no question that a great deal more strength will be required for us to bring the situation there under control.  However, this is not just a problem for America and Europe.  Where is the rest of the world?  

It's one thing for China to be perfectly okay with giving large amounts of money to brutal dictators in Africa, in exchange for their minerals, with no attempt whatever to have a positive, moral and humane influence on them. Such brutality doesn't affect China, they figure, so why should they care?

But when it comes to the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I don't see how China can afford to be so sedate. A nuclear-armed Taliban, which is exactly what we are headed for, represents no less a threat to China than to us. Even if the Taliban might not attack China directly, China still should be very concerned about the safety and security of the number one source of all their money, which is us. Moreover, if I were China, I might consider that it would not be long before the Taliban, with their partners, al-Qaeda – in the name of Allah – would be directing their attention to Godless China. China needs to be helping us in Afghanistan with very substantial aid, including troops.

Another country that's not rich like China, but they act like it with all the money they spend on their military, is India. Again, India has a large stake in making sure that the Taliban is defeated. Because if they're not, then all of Pakistan is in danger as well, with the strong possibility that India would then have a much more dangerous enemy across their border. And yet, not only does India give no assistance to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan, because of India's threat to Pakistan on the border between those two countries, Pakistan is forced to divert a large part of their military away from the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. At the very least, India should back off of Kashmir.

Of course where the Taliban received their initial training and weapons was from us, when we supported them against the USSR. That was one of the two very ill-conceived and costly errors that we have made that have gotten us where we are – the other being the reckless decision to invade Iraq, at a time when Saddam was running scared and ready to bargain, but he couldn't because "we don't talk to terrorists." Not surprisingly, Russia is now gun-shy about having anything to do with Afghanistan. But their stake is as big as anybody's.

The Taliban is a threat to the whole world, and the whole world should be responding. China, India and Russia all need be helping in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and our leaders should be making that clear to them – not just sending more of our troops when we are already stretched to, or well beyond, the limit.

Thank you, John Vehon