I know that my usual rhetoric on President Obama isn’t always complimentary, to say the least, but today I want to praise the guy for doing the right thing with Afghanistan. Please don’t assume that I am in some way liberal (in a conventional sense) when it comes to foreign policy. I have to acknowledge, however, that many serious decisions made over the past eight years by the Bush Administration have been disasterous and have compromised our safety and security. Obama’s “foreign policy” has yet to be determined, but so far I am glad that he is taking Afghanistan seriously and not following the example of his Vice-President, Joe “foot-in-the-mouth” Biden (who has jepoardized our success in Afghanistan on account of his big mouth).
There has been a lot of discussion in the media and by politicians alike on what to do about Afghanistan. Ridiculously, some pundits like Rachel Maddow have hinted that Afghanistan is “Obama’s Vietnam.” Hopefully Americans won’t believe such speculation, for not only do most pundits and commentators like Maddow lack any foreign policy experience/expertise, but they are incorrectly assessing the situation and undermining the President’s plans for the region.
I am of the opinion that these “peaceniks” who are opposed to any/every war or military conflict are heartless and ignorant. If Afghanistan is abandoned or American troops pull out too soon, we are not only endangering the lives of the Afghan people, but we are seriously endangering the lives of American troops and citizens. Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India make for a seriously tricky combination, and the geo-politics of that region are highly contentious. The Taliban, which has had time to regroup and reorganize has the potential (because of ties with Pakistani intelligence) to obtain nuclear material and deliver such devastating technologies to terrorist groups. The State Department and CIA are both incredbly concerned about this happening, and things are now more dangerous than ever. Should the US abandon a radical government who not only fosters and protects terrorist groups, but receive arms and other weapons from an unstable nucelar nation (Pakistan)? If you foolishly believe that the answer is “yes,” then you are terribly ignorant of the dangers involved.
We must remember that the invasion of Afghanistan was the first conflict of President Bush’s highly ambitious “War on Terror” (a phrase Obama has wisely abandoned). To most Americans, the quick “defeat” of the Taliban meant that we had successfully removed a dangerous and terrorist-harboring government, and brought a chance for democracy to the people of Afghanistan.
Unfortunately, American leadership was extremely short-sighted by prematurely declaring a “victory” over the Taliban and Al Qaeda (a similar mistake made in Iraq with the “mission accomplished” delcaration). US forces simply pushed much the Taliban out of Afghanistan and into Pakistan, where they were given time to lick their wounds and regroup. Instead of engaging the local population and securing their loyalties against the Taliban (tactics of a strong counter-insurgency), we adopted a similar strategy to the Russians more than a decade earlier and maintained strongholds across the various provinces and established a central government in Kabul. And most damaging to our efforts in the region, a few years later the US invaded Iraq and significantly decreased the attention on Afghanistan. If I agree with anything Obama said on the campaign trail, it was that we lost our way in Afghanistan because of Iraq.
Now the Taliban poses a serious danger to the government and people of Afghanistan, for they not only have strength in numbers and weaponry, but they have control over a portion of the country and are advancing quickly to occupy more ground and rally support. The US can defeat the Taliban through a more aggressive counter-insurgency effort… strategies designed by individuals like David Kilcullen. Such tactics have worked in Afghanistan, and will work against the Taliban. But unless the US is willing to maintain a more concentrated presence in the country and is willing to go beyond the minimum required to do so, the Taliban will take control over the country and the US will leave, the Afghans will suffer tremendously, the region will descend into chaos, terrorist groups will be fostered there, Pakistan will continue to secretly support the Taliban and their terrorist allies, and this country will risk something as devastating as a nuclear attack.
There have been serious mistakes made already by the Obama Administration. Richard Holbrooke has made some damaging gaffes by openly supporting India, publicly criticizing Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, and advocating a change in leadership in the Afghan government. And of course, we have also seen senseless mistakes made by Joe Biden as well who promised Pakistan F16′s and who like Holbrooke, has also criticized Karzai publicly and advanced an agenda to replace him. While it is true that the Afghan government is in need of serious reform, these public gaffes are alienating the government and the people. Karzai won the presidential election by an impressive margin, and has excellent connections with anyone/everyone important in Afghanistan. Even if the US desires another leader to replace Karzai, Karzai will most likely win the next election and after being slighted, will no longer bow to US demands. Afterall, after being publicly criticized by Holbrooke and Biden, Karzai retaliated by broadcasting the numbers of Afghan deaths by American bombs and fire. If we lose Karzai, we may just lose Afghanistan.
With all of this in mind, I believe that Barack Obama has the right idea when it comes to Afghanistan; and for that he deserves our praise and respect. I believe that he truly understands the importance of victory in that region, and he seems unwilling to take a chance at another and potentially more devastating attack on Americans.
From The New York Times:
With a bloody suicide bombing near the Khyber Pass adding urgency to his words, President Obama announced on Friday that he plans to further bolster American forces in Afghanistan, increase aid to Pakistan, and set strict standards for measuring progress in fighting Al Qaeda and the Taliban in both chaotic countries.
The main elements of Mr. Obama’s plan, with its more robust combat force, its emphasis on training, and its far-reaching goals, foreshadow an ambitious but risky and costly attempt to unify and stabilize Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mr. Obama is unveiling his approach at a time when the conflict is worsening, the lives of the people are not visibly improving, and the intervention by American-led foreign powers is increasingly resented.
He said that “an uncompromising core of the Taliban,” the fundamentalist party that America and its allies ousted seven years ago, must be defeated militarily, but that other opposition forces “who have taken up arms because of coercion, or simply for a price,” must be drawn back into the fold.
President Obama called on Congress to approve $1.5 billion in aid to Pakistan for each of the next five years, acknowledging that the costs are high and that there are many competing demands for spending at home, but that the security interests at stake cannot be put aside, and that Afghanistan cannot take second place to Iraq in military importance.
Initial reaction to President Obama’s approach was supportive, ranging from the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan and the NATO alliance to the United States Congress, whose support will be crucial.
President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan welcomed the new strategy on Friday, saying in a statement that the plan “will bring Afghanistan and the international community closer to success,” The Associated Press reported.
Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Husain Hazzani, called the Obama strategy “an extraordinarily positive sign, Reuters reported.
The reaction from European states, many of whom have participated in the NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan, was also broadly positive, and some nations held out the prospect of assisting with additional aid and training for local security forces.
I may not agree with Obama on most issues, and even when it comes to Afghanistan, I have my disagreements. But I am glad to see Obama making this committment to Afghanistan, which may not be widely popular the longer we are there. So kudos Obama! This is a rare opportunity for me to do so.
- Marc
