Getting a New Perspective on Our Options
Nicholas Kristof, a columnist for the New York Times had a column this week that gave us a graphic picture of the price that our nation is paying for the current foreign policy. It is summarized in the sentence, "For the cost of an additional soldier stationed in Afghanistan for a year, nearly 20 schools could be built."
Kristof recognizes that education is not a panacea. But he cites the example of Greg Mortenson, author of “Three Cups of Tea,” who has built 39 schools in Afghanistan and 92 in Pakistan. Not one has been burned down or closed. The aid organization CARE has 295 schools educating 50,000 girls in Afghanistan, and not a single one has been closed or burned by the Taliban. The Afghan Institute of Learning, another aid group, has 32 schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with none closed by the Taliban (although local communities have temporarily suspended three for security reasons).
It's uplifting to see productive alternatives to the years of war in which we have been engaged. If you would like to read more on this, go to http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/opinion/29kristof.html?_r=1
