Posted by
Bert Chapman on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 9:48:16 PM
Tonight President Obama announced that U.S. forces would begin withdrawing from Afghanistan starting next month. He announced that this would be a phased withdrawal of 33,000 troops which would be completed by October of 2012. Of course, this is the month before the presidential election so it's timing is politically convenient. Unfortunately, for Obama and the Afghan people this announcement is welcome news for Al Qaida and the Taliban in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Through the heroic efforts of our forces and the stellar leadership of General Petraus, we have made significant progress disrupting and destroying significant portions of the Islamist terrorist network in this region which allowed the launching of the 9/11 attacks. We have also begun the long-term cultivation of the Afghan population and training of their military forces necessary for that country to defend itself, build stable societal foundations, and viable institutions so that in the decades to come that country has a chance to become a part of the international community. Unfortunately, tonight's decision undercuts all of our hard work and sacrifice by demonstrating that we don't have the intestinal fortitude and long-term perspective necessary to achieve victory and help the Afghan people become something resembling a normal country.
Instead, we have a President who is more interested in pandering to the moveon.org and Code Pink wings of his political base instead of a leader who recognizes Afghanistan's geopolitical importance to the war on Islamist terrorism and in the emerging strategic importance of South Asia which will involve the intersection of powers such as the U.S., Iran, Pakistan, India, China, and other adjacent countries. The U.S. Geological Survey and its Afghan counterparts have discovered large reserves of lithium (used in batteries and Blackberry's) which could help Afghanistan become more economically sufficient and move away from its dependence on opium to achieve a more moral means of economic development. It will require a stable security environment to help Afghanistan make effective use of this lithium. However, Obama's decision to pull the plug on our efforts which are beginning to yield positive results undercuts the Afghans who are struggling to free themselves from the Taliban and Pakistani efforts to encourage the Taliban and Al Qaida.
The American public must get over its war-weariness (which is historically miniscule compared to the Civil War and two World Wars) and recognize that our national strategic and moral credibility are dependent on achieving reasonably successful results in Afghanistan. In 1993 Bill Clinton decided to "cut and run" when things got difficult in Somalia and that country has remained a lawless harbor of anarchy and Islamist terrorism. By making this decision to begin withdrawing our forces against the advice of our military, Obama has updated Clinton's "cut and run" mindset and applied it to Afghanistan. This, unfortunately, will hurt the Afghan people we are trying to help and embolden our enemies in that part of the world. All the more reason, for us to elect a President next year who understands geopolitics, the need for sustained military operations against Islamist terrorist, and the imperative of America keeping its commitments to other countries even when the going gets tough.