Today’s Washington Post is reporting that Obama’s promise didn’t even last 24 hours. According to the paper, Secretary Clinton, Secretary Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen all three danced around the issue of withdrawal from Afghanistan while testifying in front of Armed Services Committee a day after the speech.
US Presidents have always struggled with the issue of withdrawing even when the writing on the wall is clear. Kennedy was forced to go ahead with a plan that later turned out to be awful. Lyndon Johnson kept escalating the Vietnam conflict even though in private he knew that the war is not going well and sending more troops is not the answer. And now Obama finds himself struggling with the same issue.
It is not easy, perhaps even possible for any president to make a decision that looks like ‘going soft on national security’ in American politics. So, in order to look tough, decisive and in control, it seems that Obama has gone ahead with a plan that he knows in his heart is flawed.
Like everyone else, I too am hopeful that Afghanistan would become stable because Pakistan’s security is directly linked to the situation in Afghanistan. However, regretfully, I don’t know how will the new policy announced by Obama would play out in the future for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Let’s hope for the best!