Obama's
Hesitation on Afghanistan May Cost Him Dearly
"Obama was right to revisit Bush's policy of failure. ... But locals know that foreigners come and go in this cemetery of empires. By dint of his hesitation, Obama has convinced most Afghans and Pakistanis that one day he, too, will abandon their countries."
A year after
his election, Barack Obama has become answerable for his actions. He can no
longer attribute everything to the disastrous heritage of his predecessor. From
Jerusalem to Islamabad, the diplomacy of Bush has been a failure, a mixture of
arrogance and incompetence. Afghanistan is a textbook case. After eight years
of war and thousands killed, the Taliban have never been as powerful in this
shattered land. And Pakistan is equally at risk. Obama was right to revisit
this policy of failure. But nothing says that sending reinforcements will
make possible the elusive victory.
Posted by
WORLDMEETS.US
The foreign militaries, whatever
their good their intentions, will always be perceived as enemies and invaders. After
a truncated election, the regime of Hamid Karzai appears increasingly
ineffective and corrupt. As for the Afghans themselves, they are as poor and as
far away as ever from schools, roads or hospitals, which might convince them of
the merits of a Western intervention. They know that foreigners come and go in
this cemetery of empires, whether Greek, English, Russian, American or French
today. By dint of his hesitation between an exit strategy and a stronger commitment
of troops, Obama has convinced most Afghans and Pakistanis that one day he,
too, will abandon their countries. As one of his democrat allies who just
returned from Afghanistan said yesterday, he is very mindful of the concerns of
his constituents: “I don't know what a credible victory means in this country.”
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