Rceczpospolita, Poland
Afghanistan: Poland Should Remain 'Until the End'
"In
the name of the unity of the alliance on which our security depends, we've
participated in the Afghan mission from the beginning. If we still believe in
the strength of NATO, we should remain until the end."
By Piotr Gillert
Translated By Halszka Czarnocka
December 3, 2009
Poland - Rceczpospolita - Original Article
(Polish)
Barack Obama's speech was
much more than just an announcement of his decision to send more troops to
Afghanistan. It put a timeframe on and made an evaluation of the NATO mission.
On the one hand, the American
president said that to retreat from Afghanistan now be a defeat that would
jeopardize the security of the United States and its allies. On the other - he
established a concrete deadline for the start of troop withdrawals: July 2011.
Obama, once a vocal critic of
the “surge” used by George W. Bush in Iraq, is now signing off on an identical
strategy with both hands. He apparently assumes that in Afghanistan, he will be
able to do the same thing Bush managed to do on the banks of the Euphrates. But
what will happen if, in July 2011, the situation proves no better, and perhaps
downright worse?
Obama couldn't say. What his
did do was define success much more realistically than his predecessor. For
him, it would suffice if, by mid-2011, he can stand Afghanistan's state
apparatus on its feet to the point that it could go up against the Taliban. But
is it possible, in a vacuum, to create functioning structures of power that
enjoy public trust? And in a year and a half?
An explanation for these
apparent contradictions can be found late in the speech. As stated by the president,
America cannot allow this war to carry on for years on end, because it
threatens to hollow out her all-volunteer army, but also because the country's already-cavernous
budget hole could become bigger. The U.S. simply cannot afford it. And this might
be the most important message of Obama's speech - for America's allies as well
as for the United States.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
[The Times, U.K.]
In the name of the unity of
the alliance on which our security depends, we've participated in the Afghan mission
from the beginning. If we still believe in the strength of NATO, we should remain
until the end. Since last Wednesday, we know when to expect this end. We also
know that success won't be easy to achieve - even by the narrow
definition of Barack Obama.
SEE ALSO ON THIS:
Frontier Post, Pakistan:
CIA's Taliban Proxies Will Never Snatch Pakistan's Nukes!
La Stampa, Italy:
Obama Must Finish Bush's Work or 'Marginalize' the West
DNA, France:
To America or France,
Sarkozy Must
Break His Commitment
Le Monde, France:
Nicolas Sarkozy's 'Neither-Nor' on the Afghan Surge
Berliner Zeitung, Germany:
Obama's Hope is All
Afghanistan Has Left
Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Russia:
NATO Still 'Clueless' About What to Do Next
Liberation, France:
Obama's Hesitation on Afghanistan May Cost Him Dearly
The Nation, Pakistan :
Obama's Speech:
'Servility' Toward
U.S. Has its Limits
The Frontier Post, Pakistan:
America Reveals Dark Side of the Human Intellect
Asia Times, Hong Kong:
China Maps
End to the Afghanistan War
Gazeta, Russia:
U.S. and Russia Share Responsibility for 'Afghan Anthill'
CLICK HERE FOR POLISH VERSION
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US, Dec. 8, 1:18am
