Obama’s War of Necessity
by: Kenneth Simon ‘11Backing down on campaign promise not an option, so President must heed McChrystal’s plan for troop surge
President Obama’s soul-searching over the past month on whether or not to send 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan has been the focus of punditry over the last week. Former Vice President Cheney, receiving an award from the Center for Security Policy, asserted that President Obama “must stop dithering while America’s armed forces are in danger.”
On the other hand, stalwart conservative George Will, speaking on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, asserted that the Bush administration could have used “a bit of dithering before we went into Iraq in pursuit of non-existent weapons of mass destruction.” This is just the latest back and forth about President Obama’s indecision regarding Iraq. The President of the United States should have the final decision in defining America’s strategy, but if the goal is to root out Al-Qaeda and marginalize the Taliban, President Obama should accept General McChrystal’s request for more troops. No matter how one feels about President Obama’s process of reaching a decision, one thing seems painfully clear: staying the course is not an option.
I recall a 2006 Bloomberg report by Richard Keil and Demian McLean in which it was asserted that “the Bush administration has dropped the phrase ‘stay the course’ from discussions about Iraq as a recent surge in violence has forced a change in tactics on the ground and renewed calls in the U.S. for a different approach to the conflict.” Well, now is the time for President Obama to change the current course in Afghanistan and do what would amount to a “surge” in troops. General McChrystal, in a speech to a London audience, contended that if President Obama was not willing to approve an additional 40,000 U.S. troops for Afghanistan our mission in the country would fail.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, during a speech hosted by the Wilson Center in Norfolk, noted “we cannot continue to do exactly what we’re doing now” and, simply put, “things are going to have to change.” The American strategy must aim at getting as many people on our side as possible. It is clear that the surge in Iraq worked not only because more troops were involved but also because of the awakening of tribal sheikhs among Sunni tribes in Anbar province. President Obama must formulate a policy that encompasses both General McChrystal’s and NATO Secretary General Rasmussen’s recommendations.
President Obama campaigned on the fact that the Afghanistan War was, in fact, a war of necessity and that the Iraq War was the unnecessary war. Unless President Obama is prepared to back down from a position that gave him his foreign policy credentials in the eyes of many Americans, he should accept the request of General McChrystal. President Obama handpicked General McChrystal to head our efforts in Afghanistan and he should give the recommendations of McChrystal the utmost consideration.
The President of the United States should make the final decision regarding the strategy of the United States in war, but General McChrystal knows the situation in Afghanistan better than any official on Capitol Hill. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has asserted, “We are not leaving Afghanistan. This discussion is about next steps forward and the President has some momentous decisions to make.” With leaving Afghanistan off the table as an option an increase in troop levels is the decision that has to be made if American troops are to remain in a tremendously dangerous situation. With all of this being said, an increase in troops is vital to the success of the United States in a country that remains an important front on the overall war on terrorism.
The American people cannot become complacent and believe that Afghanistan is not a vital front in the war on terror with no importance to the safety of the United States. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, commenting on the importance of Afghanistan, boldly asserts that “if you want another terrorist attack in the U.S., abandon Afghanistan.” The current administration cannot afford to take the country of Afghanistan lightly and any decision outside of both an increase in troops and a focus on bringing more individuals, albeit unsavory, in Afghanistan to join our cause in rooting out Al-Qaeda will be unsatisfactory.
Some Americans have contended that Afghanistan is an unwinnable war because they consider the people in Afghanistan as a tribal people with no conception of stable government. Steve Cole, President and CEO of New American foundation, said that “between the late 18th century and 1979 [there] was a coherent and mainly peaceful state.” The path forward will be riddled with hardship, but the United States cannot, and with the right leadership, will not cede Afghanistan to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. As the United States continues to fight a battle that began over 8 years ago after the United States was attacked by a cowardly and heartless enemy, this fight for civilization remains as important as ever. There remains only one question to ponder. Will President Obama answer the call?
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