The sudden, calamitous collapse of the US-empowered government of Afghanistan is the consequence of twenty years of dishonest and incompetent foreign policy. The blame for this disastrous era lies squarely with the Washington foreign policy establishment, also known as the military-industrial complex. This powerful alliance of defense contractors, government officials, academics, and media organizations has advocated bellicose policies and military adventurism that have spread ruin and chaos in nations across the globe. The failure in Afghanistan is only the latest and most stunning proof of the malignant and incompetent character of this pro-war establishment.

Madelyn Hoffman, co-chair of the Green Party US Peace Action Committee and candidate for Governor of NJ:

"The US media, as well as many of our elected officials, have incredibly short memories about the US role in Afghanistan. The current situation is the result of many years of illegal US attempts to gain control over a country strategically located in Asia. In violation of international, humanitarian and US law, the public was intentionally deceived by elected officials from both the Democratic and Republican parties that it was necessary to invade, occupy and bomb Afghanistan.

This longest war in American history has drained the US treasury of trillions of dollars and inflicted terrible suffering on the Afghan people. Regime change wars are illegal and must be stopped. Those who lied us into this war must be held accountable for their war crimes. Officials from both the Democratic and Republican Parties must not walk away with impunity from this nightmare!

The Green Party of the United States, unlike the Republican and Democratic parties, has steadily opposed the militarization of US foreign policy. As the Peace Action Committee of the Green Party, we call for the following measures in response to the Afghanistan debacle: 

1. A Congressional inquiry into the US military-industrial complex and its harmful control of US foreign policy.
2. The resignation of all US government officials who provided false or misleading information on the political and military situation in Afghanistan.
3. Termination of active and clandestine warfare by US forces in all foreign nations.
4. Joining the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to hold our civil and military leaders accountable to basic standards of international criminal law. 
5. Resumption of nuclear arms negotiations and restoration of abrogated arms control agreements.
6. Substantial cuts in the US military budget.

Until the United States breaks the control of the military-industrial complex over foreign policy, our nation is doomed to fighting more unnecessary wars and making costly preparations for future wars. We must turn away from the pursuit of war before it results in our nation’s moral and economic ruin. It is time to restore rationality and accountability to the foreign policy of the United States, and the Green Party encourages all like-minded citizens to join this effort. 

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