Relations Between Nations

All too often where aid between nations is involved, the benefactor nation trades charity for resentment. America has offered friendship or even liberation only to be met with enmity or worse- violence. When embarking on a foreign enterprise (or what the old Politburo types would call an adventure), instead of gratitude, America's best efforts have evoked hostility. When observing reaction to our outreach, I am reminded charity begins at home and of George Washington's admonition to "avoid foreign entanglements", but then I end up sounding like Ron Paul. Once commitments have been made though and those who stood with the US have their necks out, America is obliged to stand with them. If America abandoned Afghanistan tomorrow, hundreds of thousands of lives would be forfeit because brave Afghans served as translators for our forces, coordinated distribution of US aid, or even had the temerity to teach in or attend a girl's school. Once America has made a promise of liberation or worse yet, nation building, the die is cast, even at a cost of ten thousands troops sacrificed and a trillion dollars expended. All else in the context of the Taliban throwbacks is unconscionable.