Graded Assignment #8

Americans cannot turn on the evening news without seeing coverage of the ongoing war in Afghanistan, one of the most important foreign policy crises today. After September 11, 2001, this mountainous nation became the focus of an American “War on Terror.” Afghanistan was believed to be protecting Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, the planners of the terrorist attack. Also, this nation was a hotbed for Islamic extremism due to the government control of the Taliban. President George W. Bush and his coalition created to fight terrorism, asked the Taliban to turn over Bin Laden, but they refused (O’Connor and Sabato 685). In a CNN article from September 21, 2001, President Bush responded by saying, “Freedom and fear are at war. Our nation, this generation, will lift the dark threat of violence.” (McCaleb)
Despite this noble cause and the removal of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan by the end of 2001, American forces are still fighting Taliban members eight years later (O’Connor and Sabato 686). In fact, as recent as last week, five American soldiers were killed while fighting insurgents. Over two hundred soldiers from the United States have died this year alone (Oppel). What does the America have to show for all of this loss? Casualties continue to mount, the Taliban is gaining ground in the Eastern portion of the country, the newly formed Democratic government may be corrupt, and Afghani soldiers seem incapable of protecting the nation without U.S. involvement. The decisions made in the upcoming months by President Obama and his advisors will forever influence the fate of this nation and the safety of the free world.
The President’s National Security Team met recently and shed more light on the disagreements over this foreign policy issue. Some individuals, such as Republicans, take the position that more troops and involvement are needed in this nation. They want to increase the number of soldiers on the ground and the amount of money dedicated to this war. These people believe that the only way to eradicate the Taliban, thereby protecting freedom and democracy in Afghanistan and the world, is to overwhelm their forces with American military strength. In opposition, many government officials believe that an increase in troops is pointless. According to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, “Even 40,000 more troops don’t give you enough boots on the ground to protect the Afghans if the north and west continue to deteriorate.” (“Obama’s War Council Divided on Afghan Strategy”) This position involves decreasing the number of troops and solely focusing on capturing the leaders of al-Qaeda and the Taliban in the country. They also believe that the largest threat to American security lies in Pakistan (Peter Baker and Eric Schmitt). Furthermore, some individuals take an extreme position on this foreign policy issue. Many Americans want to pull out immediately. They want the soldiers to come home, and they no longer care if work is left unfinished.
It is somewhere in the middle of these three ideas that my own position on the war in Afghanistan can be found. I believe that the United States went into the War on Terror with a mistaken impression on what it would be like. Many believed that we could overwhelm the Taliban, squash extremists, and teach the Afghanis democracy without a lengthy commitment or huge number of casualties. From the 1980’s conflict with the Soviets, Afghanis have shown themselves to be adamantly opposed to invaders and quite resilient to the efforts of super powers to root out extremists. How will the United States be any different? As honorable as our intentions were, can we change a nation that has only known oppressive government? Even their democracy is tainted with shady leadership, bought votes, and threats. We may have to face the idea that we have done all the work we can do in Afghanistan. That being said, I believe that increasing the number of troops would be foolish. How is the Afghani government ever going to be stand on its own, if they only rely on the United States to fix their problems? The number of troops should gradually start to decline, pulling out of areas where the local terrorist threat has been mostly eradicated. America should focus on training Afghani police officers and Afghanistan’s soldiers so that they can deal with threats to their nation. Simply pulling out without giving the Afghanistan government time to prepare would send the nation into chaos. Also, it is very likely that when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan that terrorists fled to Pakistan. I do believe that Pakistan allows the growth of al-Qaeda to flourish, but the United States cannot afford another costly war so soon.
The war in Afghanistan is a complex foreign policy issue that there will not be a solution for any time soon. Members of the National Security Council are still debating the best way for the United States to proceed. However, I believe that in our War on Terror, we have forgotten the civilians of Afghanistan. They are the ones who suffer while this conflict occurs in their homeland. That is my main worry; when the United States leaves Afghanistan, as it eventually must, will the new “democratic” government be able to care for its people. Will their lives get any better under a President and Parliament instead of Mullahs and the Taliban?








WORKS CITED
Baker, Peter, and Eric Schmitt. “Several Afghan Strategies, None a Clear Choice.” 30 Sept.
2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/world/asia/01policy.html.
McCaleb, Ian Christopher. “Bush Vows Justice Will Be Done.” CNN.Com. 21 Sept. 2001.
http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/21/gen.president.speech/index.html.
“Obama’s War Council Divided on Afghan Strategy.” FOXNews.Com. 1 Oct. 2009.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/01/obamas-war-council-divided-afghan-strategy/
O’ Connor, Karen, and Larry J. Sabato. American Government: Roots and Reform. New York:
Pearson Education, Inc., 2009.
Oppel, Richard A. “5 Americans Killed In Afghanistan.” The New York Times. 25 Sept.
2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/26/world/asia/26afghan.html.