"War Briefing" and Obama's Speech

Major problems faced by the US in Afghanistan:

1) Lack of soldiers and resources. Troops often have to operate from small and isolated outposts with limited air support. They do not have the manpower to gain and maintain control of large areas, especially in the mountains, so troops stay based in small areas and take enemy fire regularly, and whenever they are on patrol. This situation is mostly caused by the lack of troops.

2) The Taliban regularly cross the border into Pakistan's tribal areas to escape from American troops. The US does not have permission to extend it's military operations into Pakistan, so the tribal areas have become a safe haven for Taliban fighters. Adding to this problem, Pakistan's effort to gain control of the tribal areas and eliminate the Taliban has been half-hearted at best through most of the war. Although Pakistan is now mounting the pressure on the Taliban, they have entrenched themselves very firmly into the tribal areas.

3) The Taliban has used fear to keep the people of Afghanistan from lending their full support to American troops. The Taliban tell the people that if they help the Americans, they will be killed and they follow through on these threats. The US does not have the capability to instill this kind of fear because the troops try to avoid killing civilians and do not hold public executions and acts meant solely to inspire fear in the population. The people of Afghanistan are then caught between helping the Americans and suffering through torture or being killed, or not telling American troops anything and only suffering frustration and anger from American troops. It is very understandable that in this case they choose not help American troops.

4) American forces also face difficulty in establishing a government capable of running the country after American troops leave. Hamid Karzai's government has been accused of fraud and rigging elections, which makes it difficult to convince the people of Afghanistan to give the government the support it needs. Additionally, these accusations make it more difficult for Afghanistan to attract the foreign investors it needs to begin to rebuild the economy.

The US plan in Afghanistan:
1) The strategy outlined by President Obama is as follows: 30,000 additional troops will be sent to Afghanistan, the first of which will arrive shortly after Christmas. The plan is to have all 30,000 in Afghanistan by June 2010. In 18 months, American troops will begin to withdraw, however, the 18 month mark will only signal the beginning of a withdrawal. Mr. Obama did not set out a specific timetable for the withdrawal. The additional troops will be used to secure and protect large population centers so that it we can train the Afghan army to the point that they are capable of taking over from American and coalition troops to maintain control of the country and combat the Taliban. Beyond increasing troop levels, the American government will put increased pressure on the Afghani government to combat corruption as well as the drug trade. Pressure will also be put on Pakistan to combat the Taliban and Al Quaeda that are based in Pakistan.

2) I believe that the plan laid out is the best plan considering the current situation. This war has gone on long enough, and I am skeptical that it is a war that can be "won". However, pulling out of Afghanistan now would only further destabilize the region. 30,000 additional troops will help to stabilize the country. Also, putting a priority on training Afghan troops will help in the goal of creating a stable enough nation that the US can pull out entirely with confidence. Pressuring the Afghan and Pakistani governments to step up their efforts is a very necessary step, because corruption and the drug trade are a huge issue in Afghanistan that will most likely take years to fully get under control, this means that the Afghan government needs to learn how to deal with them. Putting pressure on Pakistan to deal with the Taliban on their side of the border is essential to stabilizing both countries and defeating the Taliban.