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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBergdahl’s return causes clash in US values
CALVIN WOODWARD, ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) We never leave troops behind. We dont negotiate with terrorists.
Those core U.S. commitments, to the soldier, the country and the world, came into conflict when Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl fell into the hands of the Taliban and the government saw only one way to get him back: in essence, make a deal with terrorists.
The debate over Bergdahl rages on multiple fronts, touching on whether the U.S. came out on the short end in a bargain that freed five Taliban captives, whether the soldier who walked away from his post was disloyal to country, whether adversaries will see more gain in capturing Americans, whether the administration was justified in acting without notice to Congress, and more.
Whats clear in the complexities is that the age-old vow to retrieve the captured or the fallen proved more potent than the refusal to make deals with those who dont fight by the rules.
Each ethos runs deep in the American conscience, yet has been violated through history, notably in the age of terrorism, where traditional standards of warfare, spying and negotiating are run through a hall of mirrors.
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http://www.salon.com/2014/06/09/bergdahls_return_causes_clash_in_us_values/
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)Rather than spreading nonsense, salon should be asking the right questions. For example,
When was the last time the Taliban attacked America?
The Taliban didn't do 911. That was al Qaeda. Bin Laden took advantage of the chaotic environment in Afghanistan to conduct his activities.
I believe the Taliban are bad people -- insane religious wackos that would take society backwards centuries. But they didn't attack America. We attacked them. Bergdahl was a POW of a war we started, maybe justifiably.
I wonder if there are people in Afghanistan criticizing the Taliban for "negotiating with terrorists"?
DonViejo
(60,536 posts)appearing in the "From the Wires" section of Salon
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)Those are just words, and we've never followed it. But we have moved heaven and earth (and should continue to do so) to bring home soldiers, and even their remains, from the battlefield--or you will not get young people to serve in the numbers necessary for effective defense, end of story.