Obama Reverses Course in Afghanistan

President Obama announced Thursday that the United States will not continue its military withdrawal from Afghanistan, instead keeping 9,800 troops in the country through 2016. He is thus prolonging the American presence in a war that has gone on for 14 years. Obama said he doesn't support the idea of “endless war” but is convinced the decision is vital to Afghanistan’s future and to the national security of the United States. Obama said : “While America’s combat mission in Afghanistan may be over, our commitment to Afghanistan and its people endures. I will not allow Afghanistan to be used as safe haven for terrorists to attack our nation again.” The 9,800 troops will be cut back to 5,500 at the end of 2016 or in early 2017, the end of Obama's presidency. Obama called it a “modest but meaningful expansion of our presence” in Afghanistan : “In key areas of the country, the security situation is still very fragile, and in some areas, there is risk of deterioration.” After 2017, he said, American forces will remain in several Afghan bases to “give us the presence and the reach our forces require to achieve their mission.” ~~~~~ President Obama has made it a central point of his presidency to end America’s Iraq and Afghanistan wars before he leaves office, but, making the announcement, he covered his reversal, saying he is not disappointed because he has always known there could be adjustments in troop levels as the military withdraws. Obama said Afghan forces are not fully ready to protect their country. While the President said the Taliban's seizing and holding of the northern city of Kunduz for more than two weeks was not relevant, it is clear that events in Kurduz and the growing re-emergence of the Taliban had to have influenced his decision. ~~~~~ Obama did not mention Iraq, where the full and rapid US troop withdrawal he ordered in 2011 has led to a violent takeover of much of Iraq by ISIS, a much more active role in Iraq for Iran's military, and the recent Russian regional military power play. Yet, Obama seemed to try to defend his Iraq decision by saying the mission in Afghanistan had the benefit of a clear objective, a supportive government and legal agreements that protect American forces - three factors not present in Iraq : “Every single day, Afghan forces are out there fighting and dying to protect their country. They’re not looking for us to do it for them. If they were to fail, it would endanger the security of us all.” ~~~~~ Critics say Obama’s actions do not go far enough to confront al-Qaida and other threats. Representative Mac Thornberry, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement : “While this new plan avoids a disaster, it is certainly not a plan for success." House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement he is “glad the administration finally admits President Obama’s arbitrary political deadlines are ‘self-defeating.’ The President’s half-measures and failed leadership have emboldened our enemies and allowed for ISIS’s rise. It’s time for a change.” ~~~~~ Dear readers, after the announcement, White House press secretary Josh Earnest nodded toward the 2016 presidential election, saying the next President - Democrat or Republican - will inherit a situation in Afghanistan that is a “dramatically improved one when compared to the situation that President Obama inherited.” It's strange the White House should choose these words. They represent exactly what President Bush left Barack Obama in Iraq. Obama destroyed everything he had been given and then almost destroyed the US effort in Afghanistan. Thursday's decision prolongs America's Afghanistan presence, but will it be enough to contain the Taliban until January 2017. Obama's decision seems more his effort to save his legacy by not losing the war he considers his own. It's sad that he will not admit his Iraq error and create a plan to save it, too -- not likely because Obama's disdain for President Bush makes Iraq somebody else's war, even if that means ISIS, Iran and Russia's rampages, instead of America as Iraq's protector.