To the editor:
U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton and Pete Meijer took a secret trip to Kabul to assess the situation there.
Moulton received sharp criticism from many Democrats for this, but the criticism is misdirected.
There’s no question that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was overdue. But how we withdraw will have long-lasting repercussions for future humanitarian efforts? As someone who for 20 years has had the fortune of collaborating with people and organizations all over the world, including Afghanistan, I know the importance of local allies.
Without them, long-lasting solutions to humanitarian needs would be impossible. Moulton’s trip didn’t place a burden on critical resources and, given his expertise, it didn’t place him in any risk he wasn’t qualified to handle.
What Moulton’s trip did was send a message to our partners all over the world — including organizations like Partners in Health, Doctors Without Borders, Emergency and Bayat — that we will not abandon you in your time of need.
Emergency is now decrying “USA e getta” — a term for single-use items like tissues. By capitalizing the first word they are using a play on words to denounce how the USA used allies and tossed them when they were no longer needed.
Was Moulton’s move “brazen”? Perhaps. But I’m confident that it did far more good than harm, and sent a better message to our allies than the slipshod way we’re withdrawing from Afghanistan before even securing visas for those who risked their lives to help us.
Nathaniel Mulcahy
Founder of WorldStove and former candidate for Congress
