Daily Meme: Wars Past and Present

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  • Political debate in Washington this week has been dominated by discussions about what the contours of the U.S.'s involvement in Syria will be.
  • There have been debates about the long-term effects of our decisions and there have been debates about how a potential strike could affect the balance of world power in the short term. It's important to look back at what our past military actions have left in their wake too.
  • As of this week, 2,253 American soldiers have died in Afghanistan. In Iraq, 6,668.
  • Those soldiers who make it home hardly have it better. Their families suffer from the war's aftershocks too.
  • Female veterans have few resources to help them avoid homelessness. Military hospitals can't deal with the waves of veterans who need help.
  • It's not just American soldiers and their families that continue to suffer in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nearly 5,000 civilianshave died in Iraq this year.
  • A wave of coordinated car bomb attacks this week killed at least 67 people.
  • Last night, a Shia family was brutally murdered south of Baghdad. Sixteen were killed.
  • On Sunday, 47 people were killed at a refugee camp in Iraq. Overall, things in the country are a mess, and it has a long way to go.
  • In Afghanistan, the army and police forces can't keep recruits thanks to absent pay and apathy. There are doubts about who will be able to protect the country once our forces leave.
  • Obama said yesterday that "This is not Iraq, and this is not Afghanistan." This may be true, but it is important to remember the ripples that may emanate from the resolution to be voted on next week could extend for years, and across many lives, regardless of the length and size of our involvement.