Almost a year into his presidency, George W. Bush made the decision to invade Afghanistan after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Now, over eight years later, the war is still ongoing and President Barack Obama, almost a year into his presidency, faced a similar decision over what course of action he would take in the embattled country.
Much rests on Obama’s decision as his constituents have waited to see what he would do in one of his first monumental decisions of the presidency. However, he hardly made this decision alone, as General Stanley McChrystal, Senator John Kerry and Vice President Joe Biden had each submitted distinct plans for the president to review. Whichever option, or combination of options, Obama has chosen will be highly scrutinized by the public, as the voting population had anxiously awaited an announcement from their president, who has promised to have the United States army out of Afghanistan by the end of his term. Those in Obama’s camp who are looking towards an ultimate end of the war cite high U.S. casualties in the war dubbed Operation Enduring Freedom. Over 800 soldiers have died since the invasion began.
While Obama may want to leave Afghanistan by the end of his presidency, Afghani President Hamid Karzai suggested that it will be five years before Afghani forces can maintain stability in the land, something that would likely need to be ensured before American troops could return home. The goal of Operation Enduring Freedom was to put an end to Al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban from power. Fast forward eight years, and Al-Qaeda still exists, though largely in decentralized, isolated sects that are related only by the name "Al-Qaeda." The Taliban was quickly removed from power by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces, but has been experiencing resurgence since 2004. The continued existence of these two groups created a further sense of urgency for Obama to act.
U.S. General: Stanley McCrystal
McChrystal is commander of both the International Security Assistance Force and the United States Forces Afghanistan. In late September, McChrystal released a 66-page report to the president. The bleak analysis asked Obama to augment the nearly 70,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan with up to 40,000 additional soldiers. McChrystal claimed that the mission could fail should Obama not heed his warning. Obama, who had already expressed displeasure with the goings of the war, was initially skeptical about sending more troops, at a projected cost of $33 million. Along with increased American involvement, McChrystal wants to see additional resources contributed by America’s allies, but he believes that NATO command is not adept at combating insurgency.
Vice President: Joe Biden
Vice President Biden would rather see a scaling back of United States forces in Afghanistan than an increase. His preferred action would be focusing on counter insurgency and weeding out high-level terrorists. Biden insists that removing these threats, mainly with unmanned drones, could be more effective than a troop increase. Biden’s plan would shift focus from the Taliban to taking out Al-Qaeda members in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Biden considers Pakistan to be a greater threat to national security than Afghanistan. The vice president would not completely abandon Afghanistan; instead, he would call for the training of Afghani soldiers so that they themselves may take on the Taliban. One benefit, cited by Biden, is that this plan would be much less expensive than McChrystal’s.
Massachusetts Senator: John Kerry
Senator Kerry’s assessment of McChrystal’s plan was that it was overly ambitious. Instead, the senator would like to see a more moderate troop increase in Afghanistan. Kerry’s plan appeals to both Republicans, who feel Obama must follow McChrystal’s guidelines or risk putting the country in danger, and anti-war Democrats who believe America already is much too involved in Afghanistan. Kerry has not, however, completely vetoed the possibility of a significant troop increase, as he has said that once confidence is established in military efforts he would then get on board and support the president’s decision. On top of appealing to people of two opposing view points, Kerry’s proposition has the same budget advantages as Biden’s, if not to a slightly lesser extent.
Obama Chooses from All Three
On December 1 President Obama announced that he would send 30,000 troops to Afghanistan with a goal of reversing the Taliban’s momentum and strengthening Afghan forces. He did, however, state that he would begin a troop withdrawal in 2011.
At face value it looks as though Obama mainly chose to enter McChrystal’s door, as he agreed to send a majority of the troops. The incorporation of a set exit date shows a more moderate plan, in line with Kerry’s desires. At a glance it seems that Biden has been ignored, as Obama did choose a substantial troop increase, but the new goals of the mission are in line with what he always wanted. Biden will be pleased with Obama’s decision to narrow the focus of the effort.
In an attempt to appease members of both parties, early criticism shows that Obama may have in fact enraged many; with conservatives taking objection to his preset exit dates and liberals upset over the troop increase.