Friday, June 24, 2011
President Obama was speaking to two audiences when he addressed the nation Wednesday night about the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan: The American people, who have grown weary of war; and, the Afghan people, who need to be weaned off the protection and support of foreign forces.
In announcing the draw down of 33,000 soldiers between July and next summer, the president kept a promise he made to the nation in December 2009. At that time, he said the Pentagon was bolstering America’s military presence in Afghanistan by 30,000 — another 3,000 were added a short time later — in order to launch a surge against Taliban militants and al-Qaida terrorists. But he also pledged that those troops would start coming home in July 2011.
In a relatively brief address Wednesday from the East Room of the White House, Obama recalled that the surge was designed to refocus attention on al-Qaida, reverse the Taliban momentum, and retrain Afghan forces so they are prepared to take over the protection of their country. Those goals, he said, are being met.
But, there also is the reality that after 10 years of war — first Afghanistan, then Iraq and now Libya — a majority of the American people has had enough. As the president acknowledged, the foreign excursions have been costly in human and economic terms. One thousand five hundred soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, 4,500 in Iraq, and thousands have been injured.
The financial toll over the past decade has topped $1 trillion. The cost of the Afghanistan war has surpassed $440 billion, and with the deployment of the 33,000 soldiers, the yearly price tag hit $120 billion — twice the total of two years ago.
Immediate withdrawal risky
While a growing number of Americans — and members of Congress — want an immediate withdrawal of all American troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, it would be irresponsible and risky to abandon the two countries that are still striving to establish stable democratic governments.
It is important to remember that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on American soil was launched from Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban. The Islamic extremist government had given al-Qaida safe haven. The world’s leading terrorist organization under Osama bin Laden set up training camps.
The American-led military coalition ousted the Taliban and chased bin Laden and his top lieutenants into the mountains separating Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Last month, American Special Forces killed bin Laden in a house he had been occupying for the past six years deep inside Pakistan.
“We’re starting this draw down from a position of strength,” Obama told the nation. “Al-Qaida is under more pressure than at any time since 9/11. Together with the Pakistanis, we have taken out more than half of al-Qaida’s leadership. And thanks to our intelligence professionals and Special Forces, we killed Osama bin Laden, the only leader that al-Qaida had ever known. This was a victory for all who have served since 9/11.”
After the initial reduction, American troops will continue coming home at a steady pace as Afghan security forces move into the lead. The mission will change from combat to support. By 2014, the process of transition will be complete, and the Afghan people will be responsible for their own security.
In other words, the people of Afghanistan have three years to get their act together. President Hamid Karzai, who has taken to harshly criticizing the presence of foreign troops in his country, and the government in Kabul will no longer have a scapegoat in the United States.
Corruption
Karzai’s administration is steeped in corruption, which explains the lack of progress in rebuilding the nation’s economy.
In his speech, President Obama also acknowledged that America can ill afford such expensive military operations when the economy is in the doldrums. He said the time has come to undertake nation-building — at home.
That’s exactly what the American people have been demanding since the great recession began in late 2008 during the final months of President George W. Bush’s administration.
“Now, we must invest in America’s greatest resource — our people,” Obama said. “We must unleash innovation that creates new jobs and industries, while living within our means. We must rebuild our infrastructure and find new and clean sources of energy. And most of all, after a decade of passionate debate, we must recapture the common purpose that we shared at the beginning of this time of war. For our nation draws strength from our differences, and when our union is strong no hill is too steep, no horizon is beyond our reach.”
This is what the American people have been waiting to hear.