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President Obama sucked into Afghanistan

This is a discussion on President Obama sucked into Afghanistan within the Foreign Affairs forums, part of the Topical Discussion category on Politics.ie. They're talking of asking for another 30,000 troops, how is Obama going to get out of this unwinnable war? http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/89737a84-8...44feabdc0.html ...
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Old 15th August 2009
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Default President Obama sucked into Afghanistan
They're talking of asking for another 30,000 troops, how is Obama going to get out of this unwinnable war?

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/89737a84-8...44feabdc0.html

Quote:
"Having already “surged” an additional 21,000 troops to Afghanistan bringing US forces up to a peak of 68,000, Mr Obama could be forgiven for responding with expletives. At a time when the US president is under acute pressure to rein in a huge US fiscal deficit and when the Pentagon is severely overstretched, another hefty troop request would be hard to satisfy.

Yet it would be even harder to turn down. Having sacked David McKiernan, the previous military commander in Afghanistan, and replaced him with David McChrystal, Mr Obama is beholden to the thinking on the ground. Gen McChrystal, an expert in the troop-intensive ways of fighting counter-insurgencies, is readying a much-awaited assessment report, which is expected to include a request for at least another 10,000 troops. In fact, there are credible rumours that Gen McChrystal could even be planning to ask for as many as 20,000 to 30,000 more. Any such request would be likely to get the backing of David Petraeus, the head of Central Command, which oversees Afghanistan, and author of the counter-insurgency troop surge in Iraq.

It would also meet with the approval of most experts, who point out that the ratio of troops to population in Afghanistan is too low to guarantee success. The history of counter-insurgencies also suggests it takes 12 to 14 years to succeed. Given the shifting nature of the Bush administration’s efforts in Afghanistan, 2009 should be dated as year one of the counter-insurgency, rather than year eight. "

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Old 15th August 2009
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Obama always said he would send more troops to Afganistan and put more effort into the war there during the election campaign.
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Old 17th August 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocky View Post
Obama always said he would send more troops to Afganistan and put more effort into the war there during the election campaign.
This is very true.
Don’t let that get in the way of cd27 pretending this is a new development with Obamas policy.

Of course I would imagine troop levels across all countries involved in this incursion will have to go to at least 150,000 before they eat into some of the strongholds.

Of course all of this is 7 years too late and will ultimately achieve little in the end.
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Old 17th August 2009
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The war against Afghanistan is also a war against Pakistan, China, Russia and Iran.
US sponsored "jihadists" like jundullah, along with quantities of heroin, are being poured over the border into Iran. Its a very dangerous war, potentially the start of a world war.
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Old 17th August 2009
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Sucked in? Like in Stargate or Quantum Leap? They should do a one-off of Quantum Leap with Scott Bakula leaping into the body of a young Chicago community organiser...
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Old 17th August 2009
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Originally Posted by fergalr View Post
Sucked in? Like in Stargate or Quantum Leap? They should do a one-off of Quantum Leap with Scott Bakula leaping into the body of a young Chicago community organiser...
His mother lived and worked in Pakistan for five years and he visited at least once as a student. He says he can cook Pakistani food. Not exactly a stranger to the region.


Obama is no stranger to Pakistan
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Old 17th August 2009
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Originally Posted by cactusflower View Post
His mother lived and worked in Pakistan for five years and he visited at least once as a student. He says he can cook Pakistani food. Not exactly a stranger to the region.


Obama is no stranger to Pakistan
Is that when he met Bin Laden, swapped notes and asked him to mind his Kenyan birth certificate?
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Old 17th August 2009
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" Gen McChrystal, an expert in the troop-intensive ways of fighting counter-insurgencies, is readying a much-awaited assessment report, which is expected to include a request for at least another 10,000 troops."

I wonder where he learned his trade? wasting gooks in Vietnam or maybe towelheads in Iraq.
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Old 17th August 2009
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Originally Posted by cd27 View Post
They're talking of asking for another 30,000 troops, how is Obama going to get out of this unwinnable war?

FT.com / Asia-Pacific / Afghanistan - Obama faces tough choices on Afghanistan




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Do we have to talk about this so soon? I'm still wiping the tears out of my eyes after that speech.

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Old 17th August 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cactusflower View Post
The war against Afghanistan is also a war against Pakistan, China, Russia and Iran.
US sponsored "jihadists" like jundullah, along with quantities of heroin, are being poured over the border into Iran. Its a very dangerous war, potentially the start of a world war.
If it was going to start a World War, it would have done so by now.

I would also argue that the US is at war against the Taliban with Pakistan. Considering that the two states are working together now to attack the Taliban.
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