A feasible withdrawal? [Khaleej Times Editorial]

Chap X · #1 Sunday, June 26, 2011

A feasible withdrawal?

25 June 2011

US President Barack Obama’s decision to withdraw forces in numbers larger than endorsed by his military commanders poses several questions.
Has the president done so only to fulfil a commitment for withdrawal pledged earlier? Has Obama, in preparation of a second electoral term, attempted to shift focus on issues of far more importance domestically such as the lagging economy? Is the mood in the White House, post-Osama bin Laden, mistakenly over optimistic?

Only recently did an admission from US Secretary Defence Robert Gates lay to rest any doubts when he confirmed that Washington was engaged in talks with the Taleban. Is the US, by hoping to engage the insurgents politically, conveying a message through the announced reduction of troops that it does not intend to stay — thus hoping for a more productive dialogue.

Apparently, Obama’s military advisors are not happy with what they perceive as a detrimental and drastic cut down in forces and one that may impact the laboriously achieved gains. The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, has called it “more aggressive” than advised and riskier. Similar sentiments have been expressed by General David Petraeus, the US Commander in Afghanistan and nominated to head the CIA.

Likewise, though Afghan President Hamid Karzai has welcomed the decision reiterating confidence in the Afghan security forces, many of his officials have contrary opinions. The general sentiment is that a sizeable and hasty withdrawal at this juncture will be disastrous in the face of the existing (in)capability of the national forces. They feel that the foreign forces must stay beyond the 2013 deadline — the date for the complete exit of US forces — set by Obama and help in training the Afghan forces to boost operational capability and assume responsibility.

Fears of the country regressing into another phase of instability reminiscent of the post-Soviet withdrawal loom large. Following American footsteps, the French President Nicolas Sarkozy has also announced the withdrawal of 4,000 soldiers as part of a phased exit plan on the lines of the US exit timetable.

The insurgent reaction to the announcement is as expected. Denouncing the move as a mere ‘symbolic’ one, the Taleban in a media statement, vowed to continue fighting till the ouster of all the foreign forces from the country. It also accused Washington of giving false hopes to the American people and making baseless claims about victory.

Freshly victorious after Bin Laden, Obama has probably understood the need to address the Afghan war differently. The mammoth cost of deployment that amounts to $2 billion a week is a mocking reminder in the current domestic economic scenario. On top of it growing disquiet over the feasibility of a war that has incurred a heavy cost in terms of soldiers, lives has added further pressure.

It is hoped that a political solution involving all insurgent factions is thought of sooner rather than later ends the current imbroglio.

Source A feasible withdrawal?

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Names of Allah	Hafsah	Islam	16	Wednesday, December 02, 2020 12:32 PM
development of pakistan press since 1947	Janeeta	Journalism & Mass Communication	15	Tuesday, May 05, 2020 03:04 AM
2010 Human Rights Report: Pakistan	khuhro	News & Articles	0	Saturday, April 16, 2011 10:12 PM
Solved Everyday Science Papers	Dilrauf	General Science & Ability	4	Friday, April 08, 2011 06:10 PM
Wise & Nice	Hafsah	General Knowledge, Quizzes, IQ Tests	16	Thursday, September 07, 2006 01:45 AM

The Following User Says Thank You to Chap X For This Useful Post:
RAO RAMEEZ (Sunday, June 26, 2011)