by Earl Zimmerman How can we mark the tenth anniversary of the Afghanistan War, now the longest war in our history? I feel more sorrow than anger. U.S. forces first attacked Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 in retaliation for the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. The Obama administration chose to…
In June of this year thirty-eight religious leaders sent a letter to President Obama calling for an end to U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. The letter also calls for untying development aid from the military counterinsurgency strategy. The letter states that “militarized aid has worked to undermine long term sustainability while proving ineffective in addressing…
Friday, October 7, 2011 will mark a decade of war for the United States. On October 7, 2001 President George W. Bush addressed the nation and launched a war in Afghanistan. In response to the attacks on September 11, 2001, the United States chose a path of military violence rather than trying to understand the…
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced yesterday that they have reached an agreement on passing the three pending free trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea and Panama. Passage of the trade pacts were at an impasse when congressional leaders could not agree on passing Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA),…
MCC staff Adrienne Wiebe and Bonnie Klassen write for the latest issue of The Ploughshares Monitor reflecting on community based peacebuilding efforts in Colombia as the best hope for a peaceful end to the internal armed conflict. They write: “International attention is on the key players, such as the government, guerrillas, and the paramilitary, but…
Mennonite Central Committee along with thirty seven other religious groups has signed a letter to President Obama calling for an end to U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. The letter also calls for untying development aid from the military counterinsurgency strategy. The letter states that “militarized aid has worked to undermine long term sustainability while proving…
Read more Aid, Not War in Afghanistan – An Open Letter from Religious Leaders
Click here for information and resources on the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.
MCC Washington Memo 