Doctors Without Brains: A Reply Letter to
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Nicolas de Torrente Dear Mr. Torrente, Regarding your undated letter I received on December 1, 2001 in which you attempt to explain your organization’s statements made to media outlets soon after aerial attacks began in Afghanistan on October 7th. The fact that your letter is undated suggests to me that I am not alone in being disappointed with your organization, one which I had previously held in high regard. While I appreciate you removing my name from your mailing list as I requested, I believe that your letter raised points which I cannot in good conscience leave unanswered. First you state your “concern with any military actions, such as the forces present in Afghanistan, is with their impact on civilian populations”. You publicly criticized American actions soon after the first bombs began falling without regard to the efforts taken by American forces to minimize civilian casualties. Throughout the campaign the United States has gone to unprecedented lengths to insure that the guilty would be targeted and the innocent spared. This lead to oil smugglers being pulled from their trucks by US Special Forces before the tankers were destroyed and Kabul residents leading normal lives as Al-Qaeda and Taliban military targets were hit. As reported by NPR last month, local Afghan aid officials marvelled at the ability of the US military to inflict damage on military targets while leaving civilian areas unscathed. Consequently, their aid efforts continued while you halted yours on September 14th, three weeks before the attacks began and while diplomatic efforts were just getting underway. In your letter you criticize the American government’s attempt at delivering aid while at the same time conducting a war. You worry that “air drops of food will not by themselves address the very significant humanitarian needs of the Afghan people.” The humanitarian needs of the Afghan people are so dire not because of any natural catastrophe but because of the Taliban and its Al-Qaeda financiers. During the five years in power, the Taliban did little to help the common Afghan while it provided sanctuary for foreign terrorists. While people starved the Taliban spent millions of Al-Qaeda money investigating nuclear, chemical and biological weapons at the same time it trained terrorists to use them. The efforts of the United States and its allies to destroy this regime, and replace it with one which will benefit the average person in Afghanistan is much more useful than your criticism. You state in your letter that “a way must be found to reach those suffering the long-term effects of war and drought in Afghanistan”. That way has been found - the brave men and women of the United States’ and United Kingdom’s armed forces. I believe that you should issue an apology to these true heroes and to the Afghans who are now being cared for and freed from Tyranny through their efforts. If you make such an apology, I will again hold your organization in high regard and will be honored to donate money to it. Finally, you state in your letter that your organization “takes no position on the US and British military air strikes in Afghanistan or the air drops themselves”. Sir, your organization released a statement calling the aid drops “military propaganda”. That sounds like a position to me and one which you should be ashamed of taking. Sincerely, Niccolo Machiavelli |
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