Afghanistan War under Obama
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Lately the war in Afghanistan has been going from bad to worse. It is a stalemate where the Taliban and AQ can move freely among the Pashtuns on the border because we do not have enough troops and the Afghan government does not have enough money to make it worth it for each random tribe to be loyal to said national government. The less progress we have (none at the moment), the longer we will have to stay there. Thus, it is important for us and NATO to pay more attention to Afghanistan to turn this stalemate around. However, the ushering in of a new US President that European nations admire means nothing if they still arent willing to step up and take a more active combat role. Below are stories of Germany and England refusing to add more troops to Afghanistan =\, but thankfully I think they are both willing to step up their aid programs.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3776434,00.html
"Germany to Obama: We Will Resist Calls for More Troops"QUOTEGermany has not forgotten an Obama speech in Berlin in June during which he called on the Germans to take on more of the fighting burden in Afghanistan, where German soldiers have rarely fought the Taliban.
Merkel told the youth section of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) that Berlin would not accede to any request from the next US administration to send troops to southern Afghanistan, the scene of most fighting.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivers a statement in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008 on the victory of Barack Obama Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Merkel will give Obama the same message as she gave Bush
"Wherever Germany commits itself, a wholeness of military and civilian assistance should be visible," she said. She would be able to tell Obama that "just as well" as she had said it to President George W. Bush.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics...stan-surge.html
"British troops 'cannot bear brunt of Barack Obama's Afghanistan surge'"QUOTEAir Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, the Chief of the Defence Staff, warned that the British military was already over-stretched, and suggested that troops from other Nato countries should be sent to fight.
Mr Obama has spoken of his desire to see a surge in troop numbers in Afghanistan, similar to that which appears to have had success against extremists in Iraq, to finally quell the Taliban insurgency.
But Sir Jock said that British troops were already struggling to cope with fighting in the two theatres of Iraq and Afghanistan, and could not take on more demands.
His words were echoed by David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, who agreed that other Nato countries should take responsibility for any fresh surge in Afghanistan.
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And if you are interested in getting a ground view on Afghanistan, I highly recommend michaelyon-online.com . He is an independent journalist (former special forces too, which makes his war reporting excellent) who has embedded with our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq in the past. The lengths of his embeds are the longest of any journalist, so his insights are useful if you want to get a feel for the context on the ground. Currently he is in Afghanistan, but he is not embedded. He is traveling among the people ALONE. His goal is to get information to the American public, because he sees the war being lost and wants the public to demand progress.
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I'm a bit curious now... what does this have to do with Obama?
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QUOTE (Jedd @ Nov 10 2008, 09:05 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I'm a bit curious now... what does this have to do with Obama?
I think he's just trying to discuss what we all think would be/is the best course of action that Obama may take in Afghanistan since it won't get attention until after the Bush administration leaves office.
Edit: Oh, and here's my obligatory "just pull our forces out of the middle east entirely, and our problem is solved" reply. -
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QUOTE (Governor @ Nov 10 2008, 09:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Edit: Oh, and here's my obligatory "just pull our forces out of the middle east entirely, and our problem is solved" reply.
I second this motion.
As for his plan of action, I'd just wait and see. He has no precedent in this matter that I can speak of, so anything would be almost pure speculation. -
QUOTE (Jedd @ Nov 10 2008, 10:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I second this motion.
As for his plan of action, I'd just wait and see. He has no precedent in this matter that I can speak of, so anything would be almost pure speculation.
Except of course his outlined plan. Granted it will almost undoubtedly see revisions, but you can at least get some semblance of an idea of what his thoughts on the matter are without needing to speculate too much.
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Oh. I didn't see an outlined plan. I only saw some goals. I guess, I'll have to find it sometime in the next two months.
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QUOTE (Jedd @ Nov 10 2008, 11:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Oh. I didn't see an outlined plan. I only saw some goals. I guess, I'll have to find it sometime in the next two months.
Well, to better qualify, it's an outlined plan for getting that particular conflict back on track, not an outlined plan for finishing it, unfortunately.
pdfwarning
check it: Barack Obama's "The World Beyond Iraq"
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article about said pdf
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