WAND's statement after President Obama's speech on escalation in Afghanistan
December 3, 2009

WAND joins with many other organizations in asserting that we cannot and will not win the war in Afghanistan by military force. We know that an increased U.S. military footprint in Afghanistan will only fuel the insurgency and be counterproductive to the goal of securing Afghanistan.

We encourage President Obama to support community-led development efforts – to the extent possible sidestepping the corrupt and delegitimized national government and emphasizing the empowerment of women – and to clearly define an exit strategy.

We understand there are no easy answers when it comes to Afghanistan, but we also know that the answer is not more U.S. troops.