With polls showing only 39 percent of Americans supporting continuance of the war in Afghanistan, political support has already slipped away. In Afghanistan there will be no widespread winning of the hearts and minds as was presumed the case in Iraq, a country with a different history and psyche. Afghanis are a very proud people and relish the fact that they were never conquered by any European powers, and were never a colony of such powers. Alexander the Greek thought better of trying to conquer the region, and in the early 1900s, Great Britain turned tail and ran after brutal slaughter of its troops, and the timing didnt help Britain either because it was an empire in decline. The US economic situation is very precarious. Then there was the massive Soviet invasion of the 1980s that resulted in their defeat, retreat followed by the dissolving of the Soviet Union. The US and NATO together felt assured that Afghanistan would fall under their collective power, in short order. However, that has not happened. McChrystal would like to see the US more involved in nation building in Afghanistan, an extraordinarily expensive proposition. How can we forget so quickly the huge cost of pursuing the war in Iraq? Japan and China will not continue to prop up American debt. To continue with the war in Afghanistan means we sacrifice competitiveness in manufacturing, education and the perception of moral leadership. Economics and education adversely affect African Americans in very real ways, much deeper than other ethnic groups. Therefore, these foreign policy decisions have a direct bearing on the wellbeing of African American communities in the US. Sending more troops, financial and other resources to Afghanistan means fewer resources domestically. We would be hard pressed to hear any news of companies involved with military contracts on Wall Street having problems. The only winners are those companies and individuals who are directly connected to a war economy. If a war economy was so good for America we wouldnt be experiencing very high unemployment, currently. This cannot be blamed on President Barack Obama. However, if he continues with the Bush/Cheney adventure in Afghanistan, it will be his problem. (less info)