NguCurt Torrell, Quaker House, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Naphezu kweqiniso lokuthi isizwe sethu sikhathele yimpi ngemva kweminyaka eyishumi nantathu yezimpi zangemva kwe-9/11, singene kwenye futhi impi, kulokhu okubizwa ngokuthi i-Islamic State (IS). Futhi naphezu kweqiniso lokuthi amabhomu ethu akhiqizanga ukuthula noma uzinzo e-Iraq nase-Afghanistan, kodwa kunalokho adedela isivunguvungu sodlame lwezizwe nolwamahlelo kanye nezikhukhula zezikhali ezizungeza kuleso sifunda, siholelwa ekukwenzeni futhi.
Izwe lakithi alizange liphangwe noma liqhunyiswe ngamabhomu, futhi asizange silahlekelwe ngamakhulu ezinkulungwane zezakhamizi ngenxa yobudlova, indlala, nokuntuleka kwamanzi nokunakekelwa kwezempilo okwalandela. Ingxenye enkulu yabantu bethu ayizange iphoqelelwe ukuba ingene emakamu ababaleki. Noma kunjalo, abantu baseMelika sebeqala ukuqonda ukuthi iminyaka eyishumi nantathu yempi isilahlekisele kakhulu. Kodwa labo abayimilutha yempi kakhulu, nalabo abazuza kuyo, bayenqaba ukuqaphela imiphumela yokulutheka kwabo kwabanye.
Lapha ekhaya, amasosha athwala kanzima ngenxa yemiphumela engokomzimba nengokwengqondo yalezi “Zimpi Eziphathelene Nobuphekula.” Emasosheni okulwa ayizigidi ezingu-2.5 asetshenzisiwe, ngaphezu kwe-50% ihlushwa ubuhlungu obungapheli, i-20% ilwa ne-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) kanye / noma ukucindezeleka, kanti enye i-20% ihlushwa I-Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) eqhubekayo empini. Lokhu kulimala kwesiginesha kuhumushela izinga lokuzibulala lelungu elilodwa lesevisi elisebenzayo kanye nomakadebona abangama-22 usuku ngalunye. Selokhu kwaqala i-Wars on Terror, amasosha aseMelika angu-6,800+ kanye nosonkontileka abazimele abangu-6,780 bashonile, kanti izimangalo ezintsha zokukhubazeka eziyi-970,000 zisalindile ngaphambi kwe-VA.
Ngokomnotho, imiphumela yalezi zimpi iyamangalisa. Ngenkathi iCongress inquma izinhlelo zezidingo zabantu eziyisisekelo, izindleko zethu zezimpi zangemva kwe-9/11-kuhlanganise nokunakekelwa komakadebona besikhathi esizayo-zimi ku-$ 4.4 trillion. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, sasebenzisa amatriliyoni angu-7.6 zamaRandi kwezokuvikela kanye nokuphepha kwezwe. I-Pentagon yethu, Ukuphepha Kwezwe, kanye nezinye izindleko zezempi manje zedlula cishe zonke ezinye izizwe zihlangene. Singabathumelisi bezikhali abakhulu kunabo bonke emhlabeni, sihlinzeka ngama-80% ezikhali eMpumalanga Ephakathi futhi silungele ukudayisa imikhumbi yempi yobuchwepheshe obuphezulu eSaudi Arabia. Nokho, ucwaningo lubonisa ukuthi ukusebenzisa lawo madola embonini enokuthula—imfundo, ukunakekelwa kwezempilo, ingqalasizinda namandla avuselelekayo—kukhiqiza imisebenzi eyengeziwe futhi, ezimweni eziningi, ekhokha kangcono.
Impi ayisenzi siphephe kakhudlwana. Idala izitha eziningi futhi inwebe inkundla yempi emhlabeni wonke. I-IS isebenzisa ukuqhuma kwethu ngamabhomu ukuze ibuthe amalungu amasha, kuyilapho ukusebenzisa kwethu ukuhlukunyezwa nezindiza ezishaywa ngezikhali kungcolisa isithunzi sethu sokuziphatha. Ngemva kokuchitha iminyaka emine ehlukunyezwa futhi ehlaziswa ejele lase-Camp Bucca lase-US e-Iraq, u-Ali al-Badri al Samarrai, umholi we-IS, ngeke akhohlwe ngokuhlushwa kwethu futhi ngeke akhohlwe noma yimuphi wabasebenzi bakhe noma imindeni yabo ehlukunyezwe yikho.
Impi ibhubhisa iplanethi yethu. I-Pentagon yethu ingumthengi omkhulu kawoyela wesikhungo futhi ekhiqiza imfucumfucu eyingozi kakhulu, ilahla izibulala-zinambuzane eziningi, ama-defoliants, izinyibilikisi, i-petroleum, i-lead, i-mercury, ne-uranium ephelile kunezinkampani zamakhemikhali ezinhlanu ezinkulu zaseMelika zihlangene. Ngokusho kwe-Oil Change International, ama-60% okukhishwa kwekhabhoni dioxide emhlabeni phakathi kuka-2003 no-2007 avela e-Iraq elawulwa yi-US.
Ukuqhubeka nokunganaki imiphumela emibi yempi kukhomba ukulutheka esibonakala singakwazi ukulawula kukho. Njenganoma yikuphi ukulutheka, ukukhululeka akulula futhi akubizi. Abenza inzuzo ngempi bazobona inzuzo yabo incipha futhi bazodinga ukushintshela embonini entsha. Intsha kuyodingeka ithole ezinye izindlela zokuzibekela inselele ukuze ibe “yikho konke engaba yikho.” Osopolitiki kuzomele bathole ezinye izindlela zokubukeka beqinile futhi bawine namavoti. Ngakho-ke, okuhlongozwe ngezansi cishe kuzohlangatshezwana nokungabaza nokumelana nomphakathi omkhulu kuze kube yilapho abantu baseMelika abaningi bedangele ngokwanele ngezimpi ukuze “bahlanzeke.”
- Kwazise ukulutheka kwethu nokulinganiselwa kwethu. Vuma ukuthi siyimilutha yempi nokuthi impi isenza sibe bancane—hhayi kakhulu—siphephe futhi silondeke. Njengoba sinamandla njengathi, asinakugoba abanye entandweni yethu ngokuqhumisa amabhomu nangokuthatha izindawo zabo zokuhlala.
- Qaphela amandla aphakeme abaholi bethu bezenkolo nokuziphatha, futhi ubacele ukuba bakhe “umfelandawonye walabo abazimisele,” begxeka impi futhi bakhuthaze amalungelo abantu bonke.
- Hlola amaphutha esikhathi esidlule ekusebenziseni impi njengethuluzi lenqubomgomo yezangaphandle, amaphutha alethe umonakalo omkhulu ezigidini zabantu kuhlanganise nezakhamuzi zakithi, futhi ulungise labo abaye bahlupheka.
- Funda izindlela ezintsha zokusebenzelana nezizwe ezihlukumeza amalungelo abantu, noma ezifukamele izinsiza esizifisayo, zisebenzisa ikhodi entsha yokuziphatha yamazwe ngamazwe. Sebenza ngeNhlangano Yezizwe Ezihlangene kanye Nenkantolo Yamazwe Ngamazwe, esikhundleni sokuthatha isinyathelo sohlangothi olulodwa ukuze sithuthukise izintshisekelo zethu.
- Siza abanye abahlushwa ukulutheka okufanayo ngokumisa ukuthengiswa nokuqoqwa kwezikhali kuyilapho uthola izindlela ezintsha zokukhula komnotho ezingeke zicekele phansi iplanethi yethu.
Njenganoma yikuphi ukulutheka, ukukhahlela umkhuba kudinga ukuguqulwa okuyisisekelo, kodwa lolu hlelo Lwezinyathelo Ezinhlanu lungase lube isiqalo esihle. Njengomngane we-Quaker House, siza ukuqeda umlutha wempi walesi sizwe.
