Dear Editor,
Pardon the phrase ‘sleeping with the enemy,’ which is at times preferred to reaching a peaceful climax. The preamble is in support of an initiative by Western allies to end the war in Afghanistan. The Afghan government has invited the Taliban to a peace council meeting that as reported will exclude the USA and its allies.
Peaceful diplomacy should always be the gambit rather than a thoughtless pawn push to war, though at times the protection of one’s sovereignty would necessitate defending at all costs, as in the case of 9/11 and other terrorist acts. Those who were around in WW2 would remember the severity of the war and the permanent scars left on the world’s landscape to this day, especially on the Jews and Europeans. Afghanistan with its mountainous terrain and fearless fighters had proved too much for Russia, which lost a ten-year war. And the USA and allied troops have experienced a costly war in both lives and in terms of its treasury.
Sometimes we have to walk away from situations like this, but with dignity and not defeat – a position which can produce an intimacy of peace and maybe support my opening preamble.
Yours faithfully,
VO Patrick
