Opinion by Gene Novogrodsky

My father has heard lies concerning the justification of war since the late 1910s – he was born in 1912.

I have heard lies since 1950 – I was born in 1939.

So, President Obama and Secretary of Defense Gates are merely more parts in the sordid history of telling us that war (they avoid using that word) is a necessity for the survival of the United States – this time the battle being in Afghanistan, perhaps Pakistan.

And in five or 10 years, after thousands of dead and wounded among the fighters and civilians on the other side, and hundreds – could be thousands – of dead and wounded among fighters on our side, the war will wind down, a bloody and costly stalemate, which is how most wars end, one that leaves millions wondering why such folly was not avoided ….

For most of my father’s life and mine, negotiation, compromise and sustainable development aid have not marked United States’ foreign policy.

I am disappointed with the Obama-Gates’ approach, but I am not surprised. They lack the wisdom, courage and patience to co-exist with divergent entities in a complex world. They can proclaim they are new voices, new faces; hardly, they are smoother versions of a still-powerful military, industrial and globalization machine.

So much for Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize! So much for his compassionate speeches about the United States’ role in a complex World, speeches given barely two years ago!

When will we demand a total reversal in our country’s international relations, one that would make us and the World safer?

Anyone mildly interested in our nation’s latest adventure in Asia, should read Nadeeem Aslam’s Wasted Vigil and Andrew Bacevich’s The Limits Of Power, as these authors offer a new and cooperative approach to foreign policy.

Eugene “Gene” Novogrodsky
Brownsville