In yesterday's Aftonbladet, a petition list was displayed comprising of well-known members of the Swedish intellectual and political left demanding that Swedish troops be brought home from Afghanistan. The gist of this pacifistic nonsense is that Sweden is participating in an action "in a war where human rights are violated daily and where civilians are killed in daily bombings." (My translation)
Furthermore, they demand that Swedish troops are withdrawn from the ISAF action, which they erroneously claim is not sanctioned by the UN, and instead use the funds devoted to the troop operations for civilian projects.
The naivety of many of the intellectual left in Sweden regarding foreign affairs is staggering. How will civilian projects even be attempted without security? Why should Sweden, who has had a fine record of support for Afghanistan even when it was not fashionable in the early to mid 1990's, shirk its proclaimed responsibility for human rights and democracy in the one country that is in desperate need of those two things?
How can the intellectuals of Sweden, who highhandedly compare their own men to the Taliban in the interest of feminism, so cavalierly ignore the plight of oppressed women, homosexuals and children in the rest of the world?
The answer to all these questions is, unfortunately, rather simple: any action where US military might is involved is by definition wrong. Such was the case in Vietnam, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.
What is interesting is the lack of objectivity to review each war or foreign policy event on its own merits. Some actions are wrong, some actions are right. They are not all of the same ilk.
What a sad indictment of those who claim to be open-minded and who also claim solidarity with the rest of the world.
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