Taliban fighters have a phrase that they have used to describe their strategy in Afghanistan: the Americans have the watches, but we have the time. They do not need to defeat American and coalition forces in Afghanistan; they merely have to outlast them.
In his primetime speech from West Point this Tuesday, President Obama did his best to counter the notion that America and its allies have any intention of abandoning Afghanistan to al-Qaeda and other militant Islamist groups. He announced his decision, after a lengthy internal review, to send 30,000 additional American troops—accompanied by 5,000 more troops from NATO and our allies—to bolster counter-insurgency operations and reverse the Taliban’s recent gains.
In choosing to send 30,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan, Obama is choosing the best of the awful options open to him. The only two realistic choices were a massive troop increase, as requested by General Stanley McCrystal, or beginning troop withdrawals, which are currently underway in Iraq. To take a compromise position, as some rumors suggested he was considering, would be to set up General McCrystal and American forces in Afghanistan for failure.
Obama’s speech demonstrated that he acknowledges the difficulty of the task ahead. He openly addressed the fact that this increase was likely to cost $30 billion this year alone, recognized America’s sensitive relationship with Pakistan, and established a timetable for eventual American withdrawal.
While the President’s rhetoric may have been lofty, his reasoning and goals were clear and tangible, a marked departure from the Bush administration’s empty lip service to “democracy” and “freedom.” He laid out his case for a troop increase clearly and forthrightly in terms of national interest and national security.
No one knows whether or not this troop surge will work, whether it will be able to reverse the gains of the Taliban throughout Afghanistan, and whether it will allow the Afghans to build up their own governmental and military capabilities. But as President Obama made clear, this is the best chance that America has to create a free Afghanistan, set back the Taliban, and “summon all of our might and moral suasion to meet the challenges of a new age.”
