The Washington Post - 20.08.2019

A18 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.TUESDAY, AUGUST 20 , 2019

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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LOCAL OPINIONS

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U.

S. NEGOTIATORS are reportedly racing

to complete a flimsy peace accord with

Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgents in the

coming days before President Trump

unilaterally announces a U.S. troop withdrawal. If

so, they and Mr. Trump are repeating the mistake for

which they long blamed President Barack Obama —

committing to troop pullouts from conflict zones

without first ensuring that the result is not a

military and political disaster. While an accord that

ends Afghanistan’s decades of war — and the nearly

18-year-old U.S. mission — is much to be wished for,

it should not happen on the terms Mr. Trump

appears prepared to accept.

According to reporting by The Post, the agree-

ment negotiated by State Department envoy

Zalmay Khalilzad would mandate a withdrawal of

the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, along with

detachments from NATO allies, in exchange for a

Taliban commitment to break with al-Qaeda, with

which the Taliban has been deeply intertwined

since before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Mr. Trump

is reportedly itching to announce the first redeploy-

ment of 5,000 U.S. troops, which by some accounts

is already in preparation, and is pushing for a

complete withdrawal before the 2020 election.

Mr. Trump’s politically motivated zeal resembles

that of Mr. Obama, who in 2011 insisted on a full

U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, ignoring warnings —

later tragically proved correct — that it could lead to

the resurgence of jihadist movements there. In the

case of Afghanistan, the potential bad consequenc-

es are even easier to foresee: the collapse of the

Western-backed Afghan government; reimposition

by the Taliban of a draconian dictatorship that

denies fundamental human rights, especially to

women; and the strengthening of extremist groups,

including an Islamic State affiliate that already

commands thousands of fighters.

According to accounts of the emerging agree-

ment, the protections negotiated by Mr. Khalilzad

against such an outcome are weak — and have

deteriorated amid the unreasonable rush to con-

clude a deal. The Taliban reportedly would agree to

negotiations with the Afghan government about a

political settlement, and there would be some

commitment to a cease-fire. But according to The

Post’s reporting, neither provision is detailed or

clear-cut. It’s not certain that the insurgents would

accept direct talks with President Ashraf Ghani,

who has been excluded from the peace process so

far. And U.S. officials concede that fighting would

probably not stop immediately.

Though most Americans wish to end the Afghan

mission, there is little reason to abandon the country

in haste. Of the more than 2,300 Americans killed in

Afghanistan since 2001, 15 had died through July this

year, and 53 since the drawdown in 2014. If the result

of a quick withdrawal is the collapse of the govern-

ment and the reestablishment of sanctuaries for

terrorists, the United States could be dragged back

into the conflict at a far greater cost — as happened in

Iraq three years after the pullout. That’s not to

mention the loss of all that this country has invested,

in lives and treasure, in helping to build Afghani-

stan’s democratic political system and extend basic

rights to women.

An acceptable agreement with the Taliban

would condition the final withdrawal of U.S. troops

on a settlement between the insurgents and the

Afghan government. It would also provide for a

continuing presence of U.S. counterterrorism forc-

es to strike the Islamic State and other emerging

terrorist threats. If Mr. Trump agrees to a pullout

that omits such requirements, he will risk turning

what could still be a successful outcome for the

United States in Afghanistan into a shameful

failure.

The risk of an Afghanistan deal

Mr. Trump appears ready to concede too much to the Taliban.

The Aug. 14 Metro article “Test scores in Va. spark

concerns about gaps” noted that “passing rates for

English-learners in reading have plunged — 35 per-

cent of English-learners across the state passed

reading tests last year, compared with 64 percent in

2016-2017.” The article offered no explanation or

analysis.

Anyone who works in education understands that

29-point drops don’t just “happen”; they almost

always result from a change in the composition of a

test or a change in the population of students who

are taking a test. In this case, the alternative state

reading assessment available to beginning and

middle-level English learners in lieu of the Stan-

dards of Learning, known as the Virginia Grade

Level Alternative, was eliminated after the 2016-

2017 school year. Most English-language learners

now take the standard reading SOL. This certainly

could affect the pass rates of Hispanic and black

students as well, because some of the students in

these groups are also English-language learners.

Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent

Gregory C. Hutchings Jr. was correct in noting that

school systems need to explore additional tutoring

and summer school opportunities to close the

achievement gaps between students. School systems

can do more to achieve this goal, although it will take

funding and commitment. The Post can do more, as

well, to help the public understand educational data.

Maria Meldrum, Vienna

A student achievement gap in Virginia deserves a closer look

ABCDE

AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER

N

O SOONER had D.C. Council member Jack

Evans (D-Ward 2) resigned from the Metro

board than some of his colleagues started

lobbying to succeed him. But the fact that an

elected member of the council has traditionally

served on the board doesn’t mean that’s the way it

must be. Indeed, we hope that Council Chairman

Phil Mendelson (D) doesn’t limit his search for a

replacement to council members, but instead care-

fully considers what kind of qualifications and

experience will best serve the interests of the transit

agency and those who depend upon it.

Among the priorities for the council when it

returns from its summer break will be filling the

Metro board vacancy created when Mr. Evans was

forced to resign in the wake of the disclosure that he

violated the agency’s code of ethics and made false

public statements. The Metro board consists of eight

principal members, two each from the District,

Virginia, Maryland and the federal government.

Each jurisdiction determines how it will appoint its

representatives, and practices vary.

Maryland, for example, prohibits anyone holding

elected office (federal, state or county) from serving,

and its required qualifications are written into law.

These include experience in transportation, land-

use planning, public safety, law, homeland security

or engineering. Members also must be regular users

of the agency’s bus or rail services. Maryland’s most

recent member is state Transportation Secretary

Pete K. Rahn.

The District, like Maryland and Virginia, has a

substantial financial investment in Metro and

rightly wants its interests represented. Surely,

though, it can find someone who would also bring

relevant experience and added value to the board.

That is especially important in light of the scandal

that forced out Mr. Evans and also raised troubling

questions about the conduct of the city’s other

representative, Corbett A. Price. Mr. Price was a

member of the ethics committee that investigated

Mr. Evans, and he falsely claimed there was no

finding of an ethics violation by Mr. Evans; he

explained afterward that he’d been confused. May-

or Muriel E. Bowser (D), who named Mr. Price to

the board in 2015, continued to back him, and an

effort to remove him from the board failed in an

8-to-4 council vote.

Metro is critically important to the well-being of

the Washington area. We urge Mr. Mendelson to take

care with his selection.

Open up the Metro board search

Mr. Mendelson should consider candidates who are not on the D.C. Council for the vacancy.

S

WEDEN IS everything white nationalists

despise: a wealthy, liberal democracy that

welcomed waves of immigrants and integrat-

ed them into its “folkhemmet,” or people’s

home, where citizens are family. That explains why,

according to the New York Times, the far right has

poured resources into promoting a populist surge in

the nation to turn back time and turn away

outsiders.

The Times’s story documents the intricate ma-

chinery that disseminates disinformation and xeno-

phobic propaganda to the Swedish population —

and helped elevate a political party with neo-Nazi

roots to unprecedented influence. Russia plays a

part: Call it irony, or call it hypocrisy, but activists so

professedly dedicated to putting their country first

are more than happy to take money from Moscow.

Besides the financial aid, outlets such as RT and

Sputnik also prop up racist narratives and smears of

opposing politicians. But the machine is much more

complicated than just that, and it reaches far beyond

Sweden.

Domestic actors eager to spread the dogma of

ethno-nationalism look to like-minded U.S. groups

for tips on “red-pilling” people into radicalization

through “meme warfare,” or on making the most of

the automated accounts they buy up to artificially

inflate narratives. Those groups, in turn, give the

content a boost. This is happening in Sweden, Spain,

Italy, Germany and elsewhere. And influence cam-

paigners in one country are at the ready to help their

compatriots in another whenever an election rolls

around. There are think tanks; there are conferenc-

es. Researchers call it the nationalist international.

For years, the far right’s fragmented nature

impeded its ability to amass worldwide influence.

But then the Internet arrived, and subcultures that

at one time were isolated figured out first how to find

one another and then how to help one another. It’s

not only the ideology that is noxious. It’s the tactics.

The right-wing extremist conglomerate runs on

flat-out lies such as false news stories and dangerous

distortions that trolls and bots stick in users’ faces

on social media sites by gaming engagement algo-

rithms. It runs also on death threats and on

harassing anyone who dares disagree with the

conversation. The goal is to drown out all dissent

and to undermine democracy itself.

A global problem deserves a global response, with

companies, academics, civil-society organizations

and, most of all, countries coordinating with the

same commitment and sophistication as their ad-

versaries. Some analogues exist in the fight against

the Islamic State. Other strategies will require new

research into a new threat. Any success will require

leadership — which may be too much to expect from

a U.S. president who would rather retweet conspira-

cy theories than counter them.

The global threat

of extremism

A far-right surge in Sweden feeds

on an international network.

ABCDE

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Deputy Managing Editor

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Deputy Managing Editor

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The Washington Post

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Regarding the Aug. 15 Thursday Opinion essay by

Amitha Kalaichandran, “Preventing deaths in hot

cars”:

Why couldn’t car manufacturers develop a weight-

activated pressure sensor linked to the ignition for all

rear car seats? When the car’s ignition was turned off,

the sensor would trigger a piercing alarm and a

display of flashing lights that could be deactivated

only by opening a rear car door. Perhaps inconven-

ient, but a lifesaver for many.

Linda Ely, Alexandria

Regarding the Aug. 15 editorial “A fatal mis-

take any of us could make”:

Parents, guardians, companies and carmakers all

play a role in preventing these tragedies. So does each

of us. It’s a life-or-death emergency — and everyone’s

business — when a child, dog or other victim is

spotted in a hot vehicle.

If you see a victim trapped in a hot car, never just

leave and hope for the best. Take action by calling

local authorities or 911 immediately, and stay until the

victim is safe. If authorities are unresponsive or too

slow and a life appears to be in imminent danger, find

a witness who will back up your assessment before

carefully removing the victim from the car, carrying

him or her into the shade and ensuring that the victim

receives prompt medical or veterinary treatment.

Together, we can save lives.

Daphna Nachminovitch, Norfolk

The writer is senior vice president of

the cruelty investigations department at

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The Aug. 15 editorial about children left unat-

tended in overheated cars argued for the substitution

of new societal measures for parental responsibility

to prevent tragic childhood deaths. This voguish

mantra transfers the burden of moral accountability

from the individual to government, to industry, law,

society, etc. — anywhere but to the one place it can

belong. If an infant cannot rely on the common sense

and maturity of a parent or caregiver to shield him or

her from such an obvious threat, there is little

likelihood his or her life can be safeguarded by an

impersonal world of laws and civil servants.

It should be obvious by now that arguing for more

societal intervention enfeebles the individual’s sense

of obligation and purpose. It would be heartless not

to feel for the parent in this instance but also

certainly irresponsible not to weigh this grief against

the cavalier way a young life was lost.

For readers vexed by the increasing subordination

of moral responsibility to convenience and how this

slowly undermines an affluent society, they need

look no further than this fatuous attempt to excuse

parents for their child’s welfare.

Luke Popovich, Washington

Protecting children

There is an obvious solution to “A ‘catastrophic’

trend in Maine: A shortage of young workers” [front

page, Aug. 15]: increasing the number of legal

immigrants. This can take the form of a guest-

worker program, along the lines of the “W Visa” as

proposed in the Border Security, Economic Opportu-

nity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013.

Beyond merely permitting guest workers into this

country, this would entail creating a national clear-

inghouse to match jobs in areas of critical shortages

with prospective migrants. The agency would be

empowered to vet the applicants before entry and to

monitor them afterward to prevent worker abuse. A

robust guest-worker program should reduce the

number of people trekking through an inhospitable

desert and sneaking across the border. As originally

envisioned in the act of 2013, eventually there would

be a pathway to citizenship for some of these guest

workers.

Additionally, undocumented immigrants who al-

ready reside in the United States should be allowed

to apply as “internal” guest workers without fear of

deportation. This would start to bring people out of

the shadows and give them some legal status in the

workforce.

Conrad May, Kensington

Immigrants are the solution

Regarding the Aug. 15 Politics & the Nation article

“University budget deal is reached in Alaska”:

While Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) has seem-

ingly scaled back damage to the University of Alaska

by lowering his proposed cuts from $135 million in

one year to $70 million over three years, so that

University of Alaska President James R. Johnsen can

now call the cut “an opportunity to pivot toward the

positive,” do not be fooled.

Mr. Dunleavy’s assault on the university and its

faculty will undoubtedly be met by a thousand small

cuts of passive-aggressive retribution that fly beneath

the radar: larger sections and fewer electives, lectures

less prepared for, exams made and graded with less

effort, apathetic student advisement, perfunctory

participation in committee meetings. The diminished

university that Mr. Dunleavy creates, though of no

apparent concern to him, should be of grave concern

to the student body and the citizens of Alaska.

Peter S. Bernard, Silver Spring

A terrible deal for Alaskans

Regarding the Aug. 15 Politics & the Nation article

“Montana could prohibit local gun restrictions”:

With the epidemic levels of gun violence these

past few years, Republican leaders still refuse to

adopt stricter gun laws. The latest is an attempt in

Montana to relax state’s regulations on background

checks and prohibit local gun restrictions in that

state. Relax? We need the opposite in this country.

When will Republicans wake up?

Enough is enough. American gun owners need to

find another pastime. And stop waving that Second

Amendment in our faces. It has no application today

and was never intended for the individual to

stockpile weapons. The National Rifle Association

uses that amendment as a smokescreen for the

billion-dollar gun industry.

Walter Bonora, Washington

The wrong direction on guns

EDITORIALS

TOM TOLES

CORRECTION

The Aug. 17 editorial “India’s dark moment in

Kashmir” misstated how many years India has been

independent. India celebrated 72 years of independ-

ence on Aug. 15.