Afghan strategy deserves support

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December 2, 2009

Anonymous The Kokomo Tribune Wed Dec 02, 2009, 02:23 PM EST

His supporters acknowledged the cold, hard truth even before Barack Obama began his speech on Tuesday.

The president had no good options.

He could begin pulling the troops out immediately, effectively calling the situation hopeless and waving the white flag in defeat.

He could send in more troops in an effort to stabilize the situation with a goal of leaving the Afghanistan government to stand on its own.

He could commit to a long-term occupation with no real end in sight.

From our perspective, he chose a moderate approach that will end with the best result.

Many Americans would prefer to see the troops coming home now. They see Afghanistan developing into a quagmire from which the United States might never be able to free itself.

Obama says he would like nothing better than a quick end to the war, but he says that to leave Afghanistan now would be a disaster. The country would quickly return to the al-Qaida haven it was before the U.S. invasion eight years ago.

Already, he said, terrorists in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan are planning attacks in other parts of the world. Our very security, he said, depends on our success in restoring stability in those two countries.

Others question the wisdom of entering a war with an end date already established. How can we convince the Afghanistan government we’re in this for the long haul, they ask, if we’re already talking about going home?

Obama says his goal is to target elements of the insurgency and secure key population centers, while preparing Afghan forces to take over. The president pledged to work with the United Nations and the Afghan people to strengthen the country’s government and rebuild its economy. A top priority, he said, will be to restore Afghanistan’s once vibrant agricultural sector.

At the same time, he said, the United States will offer financial support to Pakistan to help that country rebuild its infrastructure and defeat al-Qaida.

At first blush, the president’s strategy might seem contradictory. He is planning to send in more troops so that he can bring the troops home faster. He is escalating the war in an effort to end it more quickly.

Still, from our perspective, Obama has chosen the best option from a list of bad choices.

And as he pointed out Tuesday, the safety of cities around the world might well depend on the strategy’s success.

This is not a war of choice. It’s a war of necessity.

Americans should put politics aside and unite behind the president in this effort.

– Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, and Kokomo Tribune

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