Matthew Rothschild

About the author: Matthew Rothschild is editor of the Progressive, a monthly magazine that champions peace and social justice.

President George W. Bush's October 7, 2001, decision to bomb Afghanistan was a risky and unjustified move. The people of Afghanistan were not responsible for the September 11 terrorist attacks and should not be killed by American bombs. Bush is embarking on a doomed crusade that will likely create as many terrorists as it destroys. The United States should instead get at the root causes of terrorism, including Third World poverty and repression.

By bombing Afghanistan, George W. Bush has rolled the bombs as if they were dice. And for all his protestations to the contrary, he has treated the people of Afghanistan as if they were playthings. When the...