The NUI Galway Literary & Debating Society will be hosting a debate on the subject of the ongoing war in Afghanistan at 7pm on Thursday November 5th in the Kirwan Lecture Theatre on the main Arts Concourse of NUI Galway.

Following the attacks of September 11th 2001, the USA began a ‘war on terror’ which led to the downfall of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. However, it soon became clear this was not a straight-forward mission. Public support for the war soon diminished and now, as the conflict of our era drags on towards a second decade of death and suffering, majorities in all countries except the USA favour a withdrawal as rapidly as possible.

In recent years we have seen a change in fortunes as the number of troops in the country was rapidly increased. Thanks to US and NATO military strength, the Taliban have been kept back and democracy is starting to take hold. What would happen if these troops pull out? Is Afghanistan capable of self-governance without slipping back into a mire of drug trafficking and human rights abuses? Do we have a duty to protect the Afghani people and the fragile state which we helped to establish?

To determine whether troops should remain in Afghanistan, it is now necessary to answer two questions; do the US troops have a right to be there in the first place, and can the country and its people now survive if they do pull out? As always, all are welcome to attend and following the main debate, speakers will have the chance to put their voice and vote to the test on the motion: “This House Would Pull Out of Aghanistan”.