Respond to the following prompts:
If you were President Obama, what would your objectives be for the war in Afghanistan? What steps would you take to meet those objectives and why?
Be sure you review the links on my webpage to provide evidence.
Due Friday 5/22
64 comments:
Hello. I feel very strongly about this issue, mainly because I know people that have gone to that God forsaken hell whole, many of which didn’t come back. As for an objective on this war, its simple, Obliterate, Eradicate, and Terminate everything that moves over there. The reason why we cant find these damn terrorists is because they are terrified of the ones who they inflict terror on, that they have to hide in caves and tunnels. Well if you got moles and gofers tunneling and digging up your lawn, the way to get rid of em’ is to get rid of the holes and tunnels. This means as far as these pride less bastards go, get rid of the damn mountains the caves are in. and if they flee over some boarder, follow them. Wars are won by eliminating a given threat at any cost, this means you follow that threat where ever it goes until it don’t go no more. So if we need to cross boarders, so be it. If we need to fight additional forces, so be it. We are Americans, we don’t give up, we have defended the land, rights, and freedoms that we have and by God we will do it to the end of time. On that day when America was brought to her knees back in 2001, she whipped away the pain and stood up strong and tall, because we don’t take shit from anyone, at anytime, for any reason. As the Rules of Engagement firmly say, “Fire when fired upon.” We were hit, so we hit back, and we are gonna keep on hitting back till there is nothing left to hit. We should stay if that hell whole till its done, till there is no more threat, till there is peace, till they know…till they know who is boss, AND TILL FREEDOM RINGS! “So saddle up boys, its gonna be a bumpy ride.” Quote from the movie Rules of Engagement.
If I were President Obama my objectives for the war in Afghanistan would be to take out the Taliban and to secure a form of government that could rule and be more stable and less corrupt and then take our soldiers out. I don't like the fact that our soldiers are over there constantly dying because we are in a rut and cant decide what to do or we just aren't doing it. The steps i would take to achieve this would be to arrange the soldiers so that they could try to have a civilized talk with the Taliban if that didn't work i would form an air strike over the Taliban's main headquarters to show them and the people of Afghanistan that they shouldn't be afraid of the Taliban. I would then declare war on the Taliban until they were all killed or until the rest of them had given up and surrendered. If that all went according to plan i would then try and set up a central government to rule Afghanistan and pull out most troops at that time but leave some to help the government to get on its feet and become stable. When everything seemed to become stable and it seemed like they could run their own country i would create a peace treaty with them and pull the rest of the troops out.
Right now the Middle East is in a state of extreme turmoil. There is the well publicized war in Iraq and there is of course the “forgotten” war in Afghanistan. There is no easy way to deal with the problem right now because it is not a conventional war, it is a guerilla war. So we can’t just force surrender since these guerillas are fueled by religious extremism. Clearly though we cannot allow the extremist Muslims to rule the Middle East, it is an issue of global security to stabilize the situation in the Middle East. The situation in Iraq is much more stable than the condition in Afghanistan, and with a democratic Iraqi election coming up soon, if I were President Obama I would stay in Iraq until after a president has been elected and has a stable control over the country. This way the situation in Iraq can be squared away and we can dedicate all of our efforts to the Afghan conflict. We have dedicated so much time to Iraq, and we are so close to setting up a stable government we cannot afford to take troops out now.
Once the conflict in Iraq is settled I would then send many more troops into Afghanistan as we have now, because our efforts are futile as of now. Our first objective needs to be to stabilize the tribal areas on the Afghan-Pakistani border, as our final objective will be to restore power to the central government. We will then need to establish a much stronger US backed central government, which will provide severe penalties for any terrorist acts. Gradually we will turn power over to the Afghan government until the US is completely out of the picture.
If I was President Obama, my objectives for the war in Afghanistan would be to take down the Taliban completely so there is no possible threat for any terrorist attacks in the United States. Next after doing so, I would try to set up some kind of government that is much better than the one they have now and then start to take out the troops. It seems to me that the Taliban has taken much more control over Afghanistan since we have forgotten about what was going on over there and started to pay more attention to Iraq. So I think the best thing to do right now is to take down the Taliban, since more and more American soldiers are dying over there every day because of the Taliban fighters. So many of our American soldiers are dying also because they just don’t know what they are suppose to be doing and I think its time to tell them what to and that is to take down the Taliban. By doing all this, I would need to tell all the soldiers in Afghanistan to shoot and kill every single Taliban fighter until they are all dead or until they decide to surrender, since they won’t be able to keep up with our highly trained soldiers. Next I would want to try and set a government for all the innocent people who don’t have homes, jobs, food, etc. all because of the Taliban. They need some type of government, so they can be able to live the life they did before, before America had intruded in their country. So by doing this, I would need to make peace with the country because I know that America has done some major damage to the country and at the same time I would start pulling troops out since they don’t deserve to be their when they have completed taking out the Taliban. After all this, I would just make sure that the new form of government is more effective than the last so that the Afghanistan people can feel safe once again and once the power of the Afghanistan government has completely took power of the country, I would just need to take out the rest of the troops so that no more American soldiers are in Afghanistan.
If I were President Obama I would begin to turn my focus to Afghanistan, the “forgotten war”. From what I understand, we are pretty close to establishing a stable government in Iraq. So my first objective would be to finished what I started in Iraq and then to withdraw and turn attention to Afghanistan. It is clear that the fighting here is difficult and progressing nowhere as there are not enough troops to make a significant impact. Continuing on as we are now is only dying slowly. Since we can’t over power the Taliban with technique, due to the landscape, we need to overcome them with numbers. They need to see that America doesn’t mean to just keep them in check, but to utterly defeat them. This is an issue of worldwide security and peace. So I would try to gain the support of another country, an ally that could come along side us and help put an end to Terrorism. The Soviets and the British have already been defeated, so why should we think we will have the success that we hope for on our own?
My first objective in Afghanistan would be to gain some control over the Tribal areas. It seems this is why the Pakistanis and US troops keep failing to make any real progress. The Taliban simply runs into this area until they are ready to fight again. We need to control their resources and area of restoration so they can’t keep just running and hiding and coming back when they’re ready. By taking they’re “home” away we might be able lower their confidence. However, they fight with no normal motives, they are religious extremists and so we must respond to them on their own standards. My last objective would to be to establish a strong, stable democratic government. Then to slowly turn it over into the hands of the country’s own people and withdraw our troops.
First of all, I would increase the number of troops in Afghanistan because we have significantly less troops there than we do in Iraq. I would continue to take out the Taliban, although this continues to be a problem because they disappear into the landscape or blend in with other civilians. Leaving soldiers no choice but to attack civilian’s homes because that is where the attacks were coming from. I think Obama should continue to improve the Afghani government so that it is not corrupt or biased, but a representative of all the people living there, including women! I think that once the government there is stable enough, he should slowly start withdrawing some of our troops. The ultimate goal for Obama should be to make a peace treaty with Afghanistan, which would follow with the United States withdrawing all troops from there.
If I were President Obama, my chief objective for the war in Afghanistan would be to take out the Taliban. The Taliban has been a big problem for our forces thus far, because they have basically turned it into a guerrilla war, hiding in the hills while periodically striking out at the U.S. soldiers. We have been hard-pressed to attack and inflict damage on them, because they have done a good job of hiding out. They also have been spreading propaganda to turn the Afghans against our soldiers. Thus, my first objective would be to turn all of my energies to taking the Taliban out. Then we could focus on setting up a stable government and withdrawing our soldiers. The Taliban are holding up this process of peace and stability in Afghanistan.
I would go about accomplishing this objective by first countering their propaganda programs to try to get the native peoples to understand that the Taliban is their enemy, not their friend. This would help turn the country against them and remove a large base of support, and also make it easier for the soldiers to find information and do their job. Secondly, I would bring in more troops for a brief time period and try to organize quick and decisive strikes against them to wipe them out, instead of killing only a few at a time and letting the rest get away to regroup. Once I had defeated the Taliban, I would begin withdrawing troops at a steady pace. I would set up a democratic new government-albeit one that would be compatible with their culture-and create a peace treaty with them, and start programs to help those Afghan citizens harmed by the war. I would take measures to foster friendship with the people of Afghanistan, because if the Muslim peoples continue to see the U.S. as a religious enemy, everything accomplished might eventually be undone. My long-term goal after defeating the Taliban would be to pull all the soldiers out and let Afghanistan rule itself democratically.
All Period 5 posted after this are late!
The war being fought in the middle east, in it's current state, will be a war endlessly being fought. The US either needs to get their act together or pull out. What are we fighting for? Freedom? That's too undefined to have as a goal. With a seemingly endless supply of insurgent troops, the war seems endless. Look at Iraq. We got Saddam Hussein. Now what? Unless we take the country over, not with Iraqi leaders but US leaders, the government will crumble to the feet of the Taliban. Taking over would help do several things. First, we could fight defensively, not offensively. Secondly, we could control oil, which reduces the threat that enemy countries in the middle east and Venezuela can put on us. Lastly, we could hopefully establish a government which we could ease into power over a multi decade period, so that the country could properly adapt. If we force democracy down Iraq's throat like we're doing now, it will be spat back out.
Afghanistan is a whole other disaster. Similarly to Iraq, we are fighting without too much of a purpose. More and more often I see on the news that terrorists are coming closer and closer to taking over the capitol from an incompetent government. Are we doing nothing? If we really want to stop these people we should probably stop them from taking over a country! Move most of the troops from Iraq out there and show the Taliban that we mean business. No more humanitarian efforts, building bridges, distributing toys to children like I have heard about from veterans. Is the US nuts? Seriously, we're in a crunch for soldiers and they're wasting their time with this!!! It's crazy. We need to contain these extremists before they push their borders out into a nuclear power country. If we continue to only half-fight this war, we'll end up paying for it in the long run. We're not really hurting them, only giving them support for gathering troops of their own and an excuse to bomb us. So, the US either needs to go out and WIN the war, or give up and go home.
The state of the Middle East at the present time can only be described as chaotic. Our country is fighting two wars; the publicized war in Iraq, and the essentially “forgotten” war in Afghanistan. I feel that both of these wars are being fought without a clear-cut purpose. If I were President Obama I would make my primary goal to end the war in Iraq by continuing to establish a democracy. My next goal would be to end the war in Afghanistan by destroying the insurgent rebellion. The Taliban is the main cause for the uproar and violence in Afghanistan. I think that once the war is through in Iraq we should focus a larger amount of forces on securing the “tribal areas” on the Afghan/Pakistan Border. With the small amount of troops in Afghanistan now, the war effort is futile. The Taliban has a seemingly limitless amount of bodies and weaponry. They are replenished by surrounding areas and secret operations. In order for us to succeed in taking down the Taliban we must direct a more powerful force at them. This must include a troop increase and more attention focused on this conflict. Without such things this war will not end.
I think that if we can increase the amount of troops we can destroy the Taliban and institute a more stable and firm government. Because of the turmoil there is no strong central government, without this the Taliban can control the country. If our troops work to create a more stable and centralized government then we can restore peace and civility back into Afghanistan. However, I do not believe we can do this unless we decide to focus more on the war in Afghanistan. This is the only way we can guarantee a favorable outcome to this disastrous war.
If I was president Obama, my main objectives for the war in Afghanistan would be to make an agreement with the Taliban which would hopefully prevent any more threats of terrorist attacks on the U.S. and withdraw our troops from the war and focus on more important issues in the United States. We have been fighting in this war for years now, but haven’t gotten anywhere. Our soldiers have been fighting, and so many have been killed, but we haven’t gained anything from this.
The steps I would take to meet these objectives would be to first set up a more stable and organized plan so that we know definitely how to take effective action in Afghanistan so there is no confusion or delay. Then I would have the troops propose an agreement with the Taliban so that we can create peace and withdraw our troops from the war. If the agreement doesn’t work, and the Taliban refuse to accept, then I would declare a war and have our troops kill the Taliban so there would be no more threats to the United States. Once the Taliban was eliminated, I would take our troops out of Afghanistan so that we could focus on more important issues we are facing in the United States today. If we are able to settle the problems we face in our own country, then I would send some troops, but not all of them, back to Afghanistan to help the people stabilize their own government, or even form a new and improved one to make their lives more peaceful and just better overall.
If I was President Obama I would consider two options. One option would be withdrawing completely from Afghanistan, and the other would be to increase forces with more american and an international troops. My overall objective would be to make America as safe as possible.
With the option of withdrawing completely, we might be seen as giving up, and the taliban would most likely return to power and could support terrorists. However, we have the option of defending ourselves at home. The problem with this is that we know there will be extremists out there and no one will be trying to stop them. America is going through a tough economic time, that it might be time to try to be a more isolationist country. However with such a global economy, we may have our troops at home and money going elsewhere and supporting who knows what. Realistically, I do not think it would be safer for America to completely withdraw from Afghanistan right now.
The better option would probably be to increase military presence, and their key objective would be to win the favor of the locals so that the locals will help fight against the taliban. After all, if the Americans left, the taliban would return to their oppressive regime and oppress the people there, especially the women again. However, something to keep in mind is that the Soviets had a million troops in Afghanistan and somehow could not control it in the 1970's. The Americans were successful by winning the favor of the locals, which is what we must do again. However, America does not have the manpower to have that many troops. This is why this effort must be international. Obama must find a way to press the idea that Islamic extremists have the potential to hurt other countries, not just America. If we let the Taliban and Al Qaeda grow, the world will be much worse off. It's unfortunate that America always has to be the one putting in all the effort because in reality it is and will continue to be a global problem.
Therefore the steps I would take would be to:
1. Meet with global leaders and continue to disscuss this problem.
2. Get them to committ to sending more troops, hopefully we can get about 400,000 in there for 3 years to get the job done.
3. If all of this works out we then begin to withdraw troops but leave some for up to 10 years to keep peace.
4. If other countries do not agree to sending troops, then send in an American surge for 1 year.
5. Reevaluate after 1 year. If it looks like a truly losing battle, it may be time to withdraw, pray, and secure our borders.
If i were president of the United States and commander in chief of the army right now, the war in afghanistan would be handled a little differently. I believe the war in Iraq can be handled with significantly fewer soldiers, but afgahnsitan needs some reinforcement. Right now we are not making any progress towards victory in this war mainly because we do not have enough ground force to battle the taliban. It would be my objective by 2012 to reduce the size of the military in Iraq to an amount that can still keep control, but then to redeploy these troops to afghanistan where more troops are needed to win this war. Also, the need to elimiate the taliban is a must in this country, so if crossing borders into pakistan and the tribal areas in necessary to rid this country of its terrorists, it must be done. An agreement with pakistan could be made for this to happen, but if it does not, then we will just have to use force to enter these areas and destroy the taliban. As president, i feel that the war in iraq can be handled with fewer soldiers but the war in afghanistan needs to be reinforced with more soldiers and more aggressive plan to eliminate the taliban in order to set up a safe, reliable, and successful government.
If i was in the position of President Obama it would be hard for me to decide how to go about dealing with Afghanistan. In this war there are many issues that must be addressed to conjuer the
Taliban and Al Queda. Becasue the Pakistani Goverment is hesitant to use force with the Taliban becasue they are thier own people, it makes it hard for us to work with Pakistan. Pakistan technically won't allow us to go into their land and searach for Taliban members. But after every battle that is where the Taliban retreat to becaseu they know they are in a safe haven. The first thing I would do is to make some kind of pact with the Pakistani goverment allowing us to legally be there. Also the Taliban increases the more we fight. So i think that we should back off and see what happens. If nothin is accomplished by this than we will put in more men. Thus crushing the Taliban in one big sweep. That is what i believe Preisdent Obama should do.
If I were President Obama, I definitely think that I would start focusing my attention to the war in Afghanistan. The objectives that I would move towards are; elminate as many of the terrorists as possible, set up a stable government and economy, and then remove the majority of our troops. I think that it is important not to completely withdraw all troops right now. In my opinion, at this point in time that would be the worst possible decision. The Afghans are not happy with the United States and by completely withdrawing all troops we are allowing the Taliban and other terrorists to remain in power; we could potentially put our country in danger. The troops need to continue to use public relations to get as much support from the citizens of Afghanistan as possible. Once we gain some support we can begin to set up a government that will hopefully thrive and give these civillians hope for their country. The current Taliban insurggence will definitely make these objectives more difficult but it is important that President Obama keep troops over there until some security is reached. If possible we should get in contact with the Taliban and try to have civilized discussions with them. The only way we can get through to them (without extreme violence) is if we communicate. Once we have some stability in Afghanistan then I definitely think it is important that we remove the majority of our troops.
If I were President Obama I know that my job in regards to the war in Afghanistan would be difficult but I think that I would try to send a harsh message to the terrorists and try to eliminate them. I would also attept to try to get our troops out of there. In order to do this I would first have to set up a peace agreement with the Pakistanis because previously in our attempts to find the Taliban people they would hind in Pakistans land making it difficult for us to find them. This way it would be legal for our troops to go in and find and conquer the taliban members as much as possible. I might also try to set up a talk where each side could discuss their goals and views of what they want, hopefully coming to some sort of peace agreement. If this did not happen we might have to use weapons or other forms of attack to get rid of the taliban. However, these extremists keeps getting larger and larger the more we fight so if we are losing more American soldier's lives than helping our country we should get our troops out of there! I would definetley try to use communication to solve the problem but in the past this has not been successful so we need to gain their trust first by stopping attacking them first. We should make it clear that we are only there to defend ourselves and we want nothing more than our country's safety. Hopefully after this agreement is established I would finally choose to remove the majority of our troops from afghanistan and send them home safe!
The war in Afghanistan is the one our nation should have been focusing on since 9/11. Although many people, including myself, want America to get out of the Middle East, if we get out now things will only get worse. The chaos in Afghanistan must be reduced and America must put more focus on this warfront to prevent increases in terrorists attack and to better the lives of the citizens living in Afghanistan.
The key action our nation must take is not just increasing troop numbers in Afghanistan; it should also be increasing discussions among leaders involved in this war. With the rugged terrain where most of the fighting is going on, more troops are needed to cover the area. Al Queda and the Taliban must stop killing our troops and innocent civilians. President Obama should increase both discussion and troop number in Afghanistan. An increased size in troops will not only increase our fighting skills in Afghanistan but will also create a way for soldiers to interact with Afghan citizens. Interaction and relation with Afghan citizens is key. The more interaction soldiers have with them, the more likely they are to think of America as helpful rather than as killers. President Obama must increase diplomatic relations in Afghanistan. The sooner Afghan citizens are no longer afraid, the sooner the war can end.
Pretty much everyone understands that the problem in Afghanistan is the Taliban and it's influence. The problem with this reality is that tribal religious groups wage jihad in any way possible and their military tactics are inhumane guerrilla warfare. This war has parallels to Vietnam and the Darfur Conflict; both of which are/were endless and deadly, gruesome battles. Any army that tries to control this situation is going to face these perils, so the major goal should be to pull out with the least amount of damage done to the American soldiers and its allies. However, this goal is not realistic or possible.
Although the Taliban allows terrorist groups to thrive in its protection, combating the Taliban itself does not stop these terror groups from forming and attracting others. As we continue to bomb and destroy lives of innocent civilians, the hate for American grows stronger. American soldiers are trying to aprease the civilians and form relationships in order to set up a stronger government. I am afraid that although America is trying to help, the people resent their help and this only causes more hate. There is already a democratic system in place, but telling the president that his government needs to be rebuilt isn't going to promote pro-American feelings. A prompt removal of all forces would be nice but not ideal. The Taliban is like an infection- if you treat it with a little medicine and then stop it becomes resistant and stronger, and therefore needs to be fully eliminated.
I have a few ideas for helping improve the situation, but I have no idea where to begin. I feel that the drug trafficking in Afghanistan needs to be addressed with the help of a foreign nation because President Karzai's brother is the second largest trafficker in the world, showing the corrupt values of the government. We need to improve relations with not only Afghanistan but all countries in the Middle East and should consult with their leaders on how to approach this war. We should heighten our national security in case of a terror attack, but we should also realize that we have other threats, like North Korea, that need our attention, and should not put everything into a war we are not likely to win. Either way, we need to come up with a strategy for improvement and implement it within the next few months or admit defeat and leave. There is a small part of me that thinks that if we leave other countries alone, help them in their times of struggle and don't do anything stupid, they may leave us alone too.
If I were President Obama, my main objective would be to eliminate the two most dangerous groups the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda. They are the major threats to our country and to the rest of the world as well. One of his other goals should be to set up a government for people that is free of corruption and has the people’s interest at heart instead of putting money in their pockets. In order for us to make Afghanistan stable, we need to realize that it is not something that can be done over night. We need to support our troops and let them know they we are with them in this fight. Sadly, President Obama needs to increase the bumber of troops in Afghanistan because, there is a shortage which is one of our weaknesses.
Another most important things that I would accomplish is to gain the trust Afghanis. They need to realize that America is not their enemy. There is no personal agenda behind us being there. We are there to make them a terror free country. The troops are there to take out the Taliban who are trying to gain control of the whole country. The Afghani people need to trust the American soldiers and know that their main objective is to make Afghanistan a normal functioning country. My main goal would actually be to remove all the American soldiers as soon as possible and let the country rule itself once the Taliban taken care of.
After watching the frontline video i was very shocked at the currcumstances in Afghanistan. This war we are in is very tragic and needs to come to an end. If i were president Obama, my first objective would be to eliminate and take out the taliban and the other terrorist groups in Afghanistan. This would do alot for there country. In the video it seemed as if the Taliban was in charge of the country and everyone was scared of them. When the US was in the mountains they went into a tribal village to see if everything was alright. There was all older men and one younger man. the US belived he was involved with the taliban, and he was there to spy and see what the troops were doing. The one thing the US troops noticed was that the people in the village were scarred of giving out information about the Taliban. This shows how much of a threat the Taliban is on life in Afghanistan and they need to be taken out. His plan to take troops out is pointless we have been in there and havent gotten anywhere, we need to stay to take out taliban and make peace in their country. So many soilders have died while fighting in this country we need to start making progress and it all starts with eliminating the Taliban.
If I was President Obama my objectives would be to improve relations with Pakistan. If you improve the relationship then you can work on being able to get troops inside the boarders to completely shut down the Al Qaeda. You cant win the war in Afghanistan if you cant get inside Pakistan’s boarders. The Al Qaeda will just keep retreating back over the boarder, evading capture, time and time again until we can cross the boarder. Also if I was President Obama I would work on getting some of the tribes back on our side. Currently some of the tribes that were once helping us out are helping out Al Qaeda. We need to get them back onto our side so they can help us end the war. The sooner we can eliminate the fear that Al Qaeda in instilling in them, the faster we can end this. We don’t want to try anything without the help of these tribes because without them this war is futile. If we can accomplish both of these we can win the war quickly and with minimal human losses.
As President Obama, I would seriously re-evaluate both of the wars, how they are being fought, different tactics that we may use to win the war more efficiently, and what our main goal coming out of these wars. We have strayed from “The Forgotten War” and have focused our attention on Iraq. This may have not been a smart move in respect to winning the Afghanistan war, nevertheless we have helped the people of Iraq overthrow a very evil dictator, allowed them to create a government, and have retaliated against some of the terrorism within the country. Afghanistan shouldn’t have been forgotten though. We still have a commitment there that has gone awry, and the terrorists are beginning to come back stronger. We should re-evaluate our goals within each country, outline what other obstacles may come into play should something happen unexpectedly, and we should specifically examine how we are going to reach our goals. We also should take into account the lack of military because we are splitting our focus between two countries. In Afghanistan, our ultimate goal is to destroy terrorism and the support of it within the country. We should not forget that war at all costs because when we neglect it we will lose every inch we have gained over these several years. We have to have more military on the ground hunting out these terrorists and more air raids to bomb out all of their hiding places where they have the advantage over our military, such places as the mountains and caves. We need to keep focused on our goal and the road we take to get there. If we get distracted or stray from our original goal, the wars will be pointless, and we will lose any ground we gain. This is a large responsibility for the President. No one likes war and the killing of people, and some say that it’s not our place to decide when people’s lives should end. While I agree with this statement, we still have a commitment to keep the citizens of the Untied States safe and to save as many innocent lives as possible. A quote from a senator that I heard a while ago perfectly sums up how Obama will have a hard decision on how to handle the war: “Obama will be stuck between pleasing his generals and pleasing his party.” This is very true because most of the generals probably know a couple ways to be able to win these wars for the U.S.A. but Obama will have a hard time following along with their instructions and stay aligned with the Democratic Party. He has already been found releasing information about the military, which can harm our men and women overseas, and the media doesn’t help either. We have to become an untied country and a united force to win these two wars. When terrorists first attacked us in 2001, we were so united together. But when things weren’t improving or making enough progress to suit certain people, they began to rebel. The Democrats specifically said how these wars were wrong and shouldn’t have been started in the first place. The problem with that was that THEY HAD VOTED FOR THESE WARS!! They wouldn’t own up to the fact that CONGRESS has to declare war. They had as much of a part to play as anyone else. So now that I have digressed to a great extent, we should address how and why these wars are fought. This way we will not lose sight of our initial goal and keep our focus on just these two conflicts, so they can be resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible. These wars have to be addressed immediately and resolved rather quickly because I don’t believe we can support them for many more years.
Looking at the situation in the Middle East, if I were President Obama I would look at the two real solutions. We either have the choice to leave the area and hope we can come to peaceful terms with whatever side wins the conflict or we do what is really necessary to end the threat of the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
The first option is not really the smart one, as we’re not very popular in the area right now. If we simply leave an anti-American sentiment will remain and that will only arm relations in the future. Also that area has been warring among itself for decades and any treaties made with leaders have yet to be proven permanent. This combined with the hate of America leaves this as the less likely option.
The second option is that we do whatever is necessary to end the war and set up a firm stable government. Unfortunately this means committing more men and being prepared to fight for a long time. Also it will mean that we will have to follow the enemy in to Pakistan. As the video we watched said we couldn’t possibly win when all they have to do is move over the border and their safe. If we eliminate their safe havens then we can start to win. While this goes against Pakistan wishes we need to balance the dangers of not acting. As long as we do this while winning over the public, I could see the possibility of ending this war.
Looking at the situation in the Middle East, if I were President Obama I would look at the two real solutions. We either have the choice to leave the area and hope we can come to peaceful terms with whatever side wins the conflict or we do what is really necessary to end the threat of the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
The first option is not really the smart one, as we’re not very popular in the area right now. If we simply leave an anti-American sentiment will remain and that will only arm relations in the future. Also that area has been warring among itself for decades and any treaties made with leaders have yet to be proven permanent. This combined with the hate of America leaves this as the less likely option.
The second option is that we do whatever is necessary to end the war and set up a firm stable government. Unfortunately this means committing more men and being prepared to fight for a long time. Also it will mean that we will have to follow the enemy in to Pakistan. As the video we watched said we couldn’t possibly win when all they have to do is move over the border and their safe. If we eliminate their safe havens then we can start to win. While this goes against Pakistan wishes we need to balance the dangers of not acting. As long as we do this while winning over the public, I could see the possibility of ending this war.
If I were President Obama my main objective for the war in Afghanistan would be to focus more of our country’s attention on Afghanistan instead of Iraq. In the video, Afghanistan was referred to as the “forgotten war”, and that certainly seems to be how the war in Afghanistan is being fought. I agree with Obama’s plan to increase the amount of troops in Afghanistan. An increase in troops would help create ground support, which his sorely needed in the region. The video said that the US army mostly relies on air strikes, which are not very accurate in rooting out and taking down terrorists. With more ground support, our army can hopefully reach out to the native population, and stem the tide of people turning to join the Taliban. We can also use this additional ground support to go further into the mountain areas where the Taliban is hiding.
I would also seek additional international support for this war. This war is a fought with our NATO alliances, but our country’s image has been badly destroyed by various scandals and actions. If Obama can gain more support from other countries for this war, and more troops, we would have the much needed ground support to achieve success in Afghanistan. To meet this goal, Obama should appeal to these countries, as he has been doing to try to restore our country’s image oversees.
My last goal on the issue of Afghanistan would be to fully support the Pakistan ground operation in pushing the Taliban out of areas of Pakistan. The border between the two countries is basically non-existent. If we could get Pakistan to more strongly enforce their border, and push the Taliban back into Afghanistan, our country would have a better chance of success against the Taliban. There would be no place for them to hide out in Pakistan. In order to achieve this, I would send money, weapons, and possibly troops to Pakistan. Then we would be able to surround the Taliban, and have a better chance of ending their power in this region.
If I were President Obama, I would increase all means necessary to destroy the Taliban. They have endless supplies of weapons and at the moment, we cannot compete. First off, we should increase our troop size. In order to do this, we need to end the War on Terror in Iraq by creating a strong democracy there. We should form this government swiftly so we can begin to end the war in Afghanistan. We can still keep some troops in Iraq and keep a headquarters there to keep things in line, but our main focus needs to be in Afghanistan and figuring out a way to demolish the Taliban. The number of U.S. casualties in Iraq is soaring at a number it should not be at, and if we find a way to build the democracy, American lives will be saved. Right now, we have soldiers going from village to village waiting to be attacked. Has that ever been successful in the past? No. So why do they think it will be this time around? We need to step up all efforts and come up with a concrete plan. I believe we should talk to the Pakistani government and convince them to let us go into their land so that we can destroy the Taliban and in turn help them too. In conclusion, all efforts need to be maximized in order to begin to stop both wars.
The situation of conflict in the Middle East is undoubtedly a sticky one. The territory, the people, and their customs are all equally unfamiliar to our American soldiers and those who lead them. The people whom we are fighting are not only hard to find- they are hard to define and impossible to separate as their own group. No matter how widespread the people of the region are, they are all connected whether they are civilians or Taliban. If I were Obama, I would feel overwhelmed by this conflict, especially realizing that I would have the power to either begin to move the situation forward or to send it flying backward. Hence, instead of making a motion blindly, I would call forth a panel of advisors to help me better understand and asses the best way to approach the situation. On this panel of advisors, I would try to have people who would bring a variety of knowledge to the table. Amongst these people, I would especially want Henry Kissinger, for his knowledge of former conflicts, and Condoleezza Rice, for her knowledge of the current conflict. I believe if a group of people with different understandings of the situation were brought into one discussion, it would formulate a better picture of the conflict for those present and allow for the collaboration of many ideas.
The Middle East is obviously an area of unrelenting turmoil. Although there are many different opinions on what should be done regarding the two different wars being fought, the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan, there is only one solution that I believe is a good idea for Obama to carry out. Firstly, we should definitely not remove troops from Iraq. The situation is too delicate to completely remove troops. We need to remain there until we can be sure that the government is entirely ready to be self sufficient, and even then we should be cautious when leaving, and keep a close eye and observe them very carefully. Secondly, regarding the war in Afghanistan, we need to increase the number of troops we have there. Although this war is under reported on, and is in the background because of the Iraqi war it is still just as important if not more important. The tribal areas need to be taken under control, and the number of troops sent here needs to be drastically increased because we need to take more control over the Taliban. This is important for the safety of the US and overall will be a positive move for our country. Obama definitely needs to be persistent with his involvement in the Iraqi and Afghani wars, and we should not remove troops until it is time, because if we remove too quickly all the hard work and energy already put into the situation will be a total waste.
If I were in President Obama’s position, I would want to refocus our military resources into ending the conflict in Afghanistan. My objectives would be to add more ground troops and resources to the forces already in Afghanistan and attempt to prevent Taliban or Al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan from escaping over the border to Pakistan. I would also like to assist the Pakistani government in suppressing the insurgents in the tribal areas of Pakistan. However I believe that enough money at the present time has been sent to Pakistan to suppress terrorism with little success. I therefore feel that should I be in President Obama’s position, I would like to prevent Taliban supporters attacking U.S. soldiers from crossing the border into or out of Pakistan and to refocus all military efforts and supplies on the conflict in Afghanistan. To accomplish these objectives American soldiers and resources must be pulled out of Iraq and sent to Afghanistan. To accomplish this, the Iraqi government would need to slowly replace the leaving American forces with their own military forces to maintain stability. After sending more troops and supplies into Afghanistan, the next objective needed to be met would be preventing those attacking our soldiers from crossing the border into or out of Pakistan. Because I don’t have much military experience the only plan I can come up with to prevent this would be to set up forces along the border. By placing forces here, they could confront and prevent Taliban forces from entering Afghanistan and at the same time could help corner those that are attempting to flee into the tribal areas of Pakistan. Whether this is a realistic strategy due to the terrain or expanse of the border that would need blocking, I am not entirely sure but it is the only solution I can, in my position, come up with to achieve those objectives.
If I were President Obama, my main objective would be to destroy the Taliban and all other terrorist groups. The Taliban seem to be in complete control of Afghanistan and no one can do anything about it. First we would need to take many troops out of Iraq (since we are close to being finished with our business there) in which aren't needed at the moment, or are wanted more in Afghanistan. After we have defeated the Taliban, I believe we should do what we did in Iraq. Set up a democratic government, and restore the country to correct order. Also by doing this we would earn respect from more parts of the Middle East, seeing that we aren't liked as much in that part of the world.
Taking these steps is similar in what we are doing and have done in Iraq. In Iraq we eliminated the Al-Qaeda (obviously they are not completely gone, but peace has somewhat been restored), and setting up a government for the citizens. Now we can't do that with so many troops in Iraq, so once we move out of there, we should then turn our focus to Afghanistan where the Taliban are the biggest threat, they are also who we need to eliminate first.
If i where president Obama i would move half of the troops in Iraq over to Afghanistan. Because that's mainly where the war is taking place. But the first thing is i wouldn't deploy any more soldiers over there because there is already to many i think. I would also try and have the the soldiers take over the Taliban so they really couldn't rule anything. And if we really needed to deploy more solders the most i would send over would be 20,000. So over all my plan would be to move solders from Iraq over to Afghanistan, and then try and over ride the Taliban so they couldn't rule anymore.
If I were President Obama, and was faced with the choices he has to currently make in Afghanistan, I would think it necessary to pull out of the war as soon as possible, in respect to the tasks that still remain. I would not just tell the troops to drop everything and leave but rather to quickly create peace between Afghani citizens and try to set up more stable form of a democratic government. I believe the main issue the Taliban has with American citizens is the fact that they feel as though we've been intruding in their country for over twenty-five years. If we hasten the process of the rebuilding we are trying to execute in Afghanistan, the Taliban and Afghanistan will be less dishevled and more able to pull together as a country and create a more orderly form of government. Of course, none of this is possible with the Taliban still acting as the leading terrorist force in Afghanistan. I believe we should try to take down their base quickly as to defeat them from the inside out. No stable form of government is possible in such a country where a terrorist force is evoking fear in those in favor of change.
Concerning the war in Afghanistan, there is no apparent solution that is absolute or satisfying to all parties involved. There are too many conditions and repercussions to every action, and no single option seems viable. Despite these facts, it is evident that military support has been ineffective in repelling the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, and has actually strengthened their forces. In light of these realities President Obama should seek the support of surrounding nations, try to get civilian support, and shift some military forces from Iraq into Afghanistan. I would hope that military presence would only be temporary, because diplomatic measures can often prove to be more effective. If the Soviets could not accomplish a significant military success with one million troops, the combined forces from Iraq and Afghanistan surely couldn’t do so
If I were President Obama I would do things differently to improve the current situation in Afghanistan. A major problem is the Taliban. The first thing i would do would be to try and negotiate with the Taliban if it that didn't work i would use armed forces on land or by air. Also I feel it is very important to establish a stable form of government that can stand strong and help stabalize their economy. I would try everything i could to get these things done efficiently so that our troops could come home. They have been put through way more than necessary and too many of them have been killed or suffered. Pulling thr troops would be my last step after the changes seemed to be perminant and holding up with a new leader.
If I were President Obama I would pull out of the war as soon as possible. We have had troops in Afghanistan for a number of years now but have not seemed to be able to control the Taliban or set up a stable government for the people. Americans are constantly dying trying to help the people of Afghanistan but the outcome has been staying the same. There doesnt seem to be much progress made and keeping troops there will only lead to more deaths for Americans. Troops in Iraq are coming closer to achieving their main goal. I think we need to focus on that until it is complete. Since our final destination for Iraq has come close I think that needs to be the main focus and the main place to send our troops. Once the issue with Iraq is solved the troops should be sent back to Afgahnistan. Taking out all troops while focusing on Iraq would be like starting all over again. The best way to try and keep the issue where it is is to keep a small number of troops in Afghanistan while finishing our goal in iraq. Once Iraq is settled, more troops should be sent to Afghanistan to defeat the Taliban.
If I were President Obama, my biggest concern in Afghanistan would be the spread of the Taliban. It seems that the terrorist group is spreading rapidly, mostly in part due to fear. They are threatening the lives of the innocent citizens and making them feel as though they aren't safe unless they are in the Taliban. They are brainwashing people into hating America. It seems as though this is going to be a pattern for a long time, as they are teaching the children of Afghanistan to hate Americans as well. I know there are many other concerns for Afghanistan, but this seems to serve as a timeline. The quicker we control and eliminate the Taliban, the faster we can leave. Until we start using more drastic measures, however, I don't see this happening. We need to do all that is necessary to eliminate and stop the spread of the Taliban before this war goes any farther. It has already been long enough and I feel as though we shouldn't be concerned with anything else, just stopping the spread.
if i were president obama i think it would be a hard decison to make. I think this because after watching the movie from the frontline you see it from the soldiers point of view and then you see what they are trying to do. Also the movie informed me of all the things going on in afganistan because i did not know that it was as bad as it was. The biggest problem in afganistan right now are the talican terrorist groups and they should be the first people to be taken out. If they were taken out the country as a hole would be able to more on for their own people because right now the taliban are holding them back. The taliban are controlling the people by telling them that if the people dont follow they that they the taliban will kill them so many people are scared of them. Not all people follow the taliban and they are mostly found in little villages. But the people that were forced to follow them the taliban have people go and check on them to make sure they are not becoming friends with the U.S. I think the president should not take more people out, but maybe shift more of the troops to afganistan because not many are there and the ones there need more help. Also by putting more soldiers here they can maybe eliminate the taliban group and make peace for this country and their people. Also with no soldiers in afganistan more of the people there are joining the taliban group and thats harder for the american troops to make peace and a lot of soldiers are getting wounded and kill, so that should be a sign for the president to send more troops over there.
big dog daddy summed it up for me
I feel like this war can never be officially won. We don't really know who the enemy is, so it is hard to kill them. They know the land much better than we do and I don't think that the terrorist groups are that affected by our prescence there. Since we are at such a disadvantage I think we should pull troops out as soon as possible and focus more on homeland security and preventing terrorist attacks here in America. As of now however, I would focus mostly on the tribal areas. That seems to be the most vulerable place for terrorists and I think thats almost a good starting point. We really haven't progressed taht much in Afghanistan so I think its false hope. If I were president Obama I would pull all of our troops out of Afghanistan by early 2011.
If i was president obama and had to make some decisions for the war on Afghanistan it would have to be that some of our troop need to come home. With us being in there country it makes them more angry and that's why we cant find some of the terrorists that we are looking for. They know we are there and there not going to give up on a fight. I think that it is also right to fight there because they know that we are a strong country and that we are not willing to give up and that we are willing to fight for our country. The only fact is with our troops being there for so long do we think it is too long and maybe if they came home and regrouped maybe things would go better.
Right now for President Obama, I believe that his main objective would to gain support from any local factions in Afghanistan or Iraq. That way, any American soldiers would feel more comfortable going into unknown territory. The military could also benefit from any information by having allies familiar with the country's terrain and resources. This could ultimately lead to the capture of any important Taliban figures and any Al Quaeda forces.
Mike said.....
If I was President Obama I would institute some drastic changes. My first objective would be to mobilize. It is known that there are not enough boots on the ground. How do we expect to win without sufficient troops to get the job done? When the UUSR invaded the Middle East with over a million troops they failed in securing the territory. However I believe the main reason they lost is because the United States was supplying the USSR enemy’s with rockets. It is imperative that we get more troops in. That brings me to my next point. The United States needs to get there allies and relationships straight. They need to set clear strict goals and terms to the countries we are working with now. No more of Pakistan supporting the Taliban. If other countries are not on aboard with the plan of action then they are dropped. The US needs to take this war as their main priority and really assess what they want out of it. The only way we can win this if it becomes American’s top priority, mobilize and do things our way. We can not keep fighting this war in fear of stepping on other countries toes. This seems drastic how ever history has shown we entered a region where no other has conquered. We need to be ruthless just as Alkada and their movement is. There needs to be a master sweep of the land. Kill the negative people so they can no longer oppress the others. However we also know that it’s a different kind of world over their. Most people have family that stretches from tribe to tribe and all people connected in some way. So doing a mass sweep would most likely end up killing the oppressed people family’s creating massive frustration and angry towards the United States. So in my opinion I would mobilize and make it a number one priority. Because my main objection would be to wipe out all forces who are a threat to the United States. If Obama is not willing to do this I believe we will be there for countless years and just waste time money and lives. Americans are impatient actions needs to be taken as soon as possible. The people of American need to support the decision other wise it will be a failure. There needs to be a way to motive the citizens to support 100% percent.
Nora said...
If I were President Obama, I would have my work cut out for me regarding the war in Afghanistan. I would first try to solve this conflict by setting up a government for these people, and by doing this, I would need a lot of help from my cabinet, the Senate, House, and of course, the America People. I would try to eliminate as many of the terrorists as possible, which might take time, but over this time, I would try to move the troops out of Afghanistan.
Taking this action would require a lot of hard work, determination, and time. It is important to realize that all this action cannot happen in one day, and that these things take time.
Another issue I would need to take care of would be conquering the Taliban and Al Queda. I know I sound like I am contradicting myself because I want to conquer them and take them out at the same time, but both issues are very important and necessary.
The last thing I would try to do if given the chance to be President would be to make a peace agreement or treaty between these countries.
-Nora
After watching the video on the war in Afghanistan, I have a new perspective on war.
Clearly, the soldiers are in tough conditions to be fighting, and they have about 1/4 of the people that they need to fight a sucsessful war.
If I was president Obama, I would definetly bring troops home from Iraq, and put them in Afghanistan.
Troops have been 'fighting' the war for years now, but have they made any significant progress? No.
I think that if we have more troops in Afghanistan, the place where we need them most, we can actually start fighting the war,and erase the taliban, and bring all the US military home.
Hi Mr. Kirby, apologies for the lateness of this entry. I wasn’t here on Friday and forgot that there was a blog assigned for that day. Anyways…
Our efforts in Afghanistan are not producing any results. The situation needs to be reassessed, and a change in strategy is needed. We obviously cannot carry on with the war as we have for the past few years because nothing is getting accomplished. There are not enough troops on the ground to counter the Taliban. We are relying on airstrikes, which are not very effective against the Taliban. More ground support is needed to comprise a strong enough force against them. A main priority should be public relations amongst the civilian population, to convince them not to support the Taliban. Right now, many support the Taliban because they are the only ones who can provide a strong government, and they see the U.S. as the enemy because of civilian casualties. If the Taliban were to lose this support, they would be weakened. We should also try to control the opium coming out of Afghanistan because this is their source of income. Without this, they would be weaker and less able to attack us and defend themselves. To get these additional troops, we should pull out of Iraq and focus more on the situation in Afghanistan. We should appeal to foreign powers for additional aid, since the Taliban are a threat to international security.
If I were President Obama, I would aim to pull all troops out of Iraq in the next 5 years, by mid 2014. This is a long enough period to make the goal reasonable and attainable, but short enough that the war will not be the "never-ending" extremely long war many people expect it to be. As president, I would attempt to bargain with the Taliban, promising American soldiers leaving their land, an abundance of imported goods as well as purchasing of their exports in exchange for a promise of peace and a government which gives people basic rights (such as freedom of speech and press). If this deal were able to be made, which I think would be possible with work from multiple ambassadors from the United States over time, the people of Afghanistan would be able to have a peaceful government, and the US could live without much fear of attack (Because if the Afghan government went back on their deal, the US would have the power to destroy their economy, and Afghanistan would be too scared of that with their newfound success).
The main objective with the war in Afghanistan right now is taking down the Taliban, but it is hard to do this with all the obstacles in our way. Today in Afghanistan, we are making almost no progress because the environment our soldiers have to fight in is terrible. It is also difficult because the Taliban are spread throughout all of the middle east and they are hidden among innocent villagers. The innocent people who live there are threatened by both the Taliban and the United States because they are caught in the middle of the war. Even though it seems like a good idea to pull our troops out because of all these problems, we can't. If we were to bring our troops back home, the Taliban and Al Qaeda would continue to terrorize the world and they would become stronger than ever. Now is the time to take them down. I think deploying more troops in Afghanistan would be the best thing to do. The only way to defeat the Taliban is through war.
If I were the President, I would take huge measures to destroy the Taliban in Afghanistan. Since 2001, the U.S. has been at war with the Middle East, but our attention has turned toward Iraq rather than Afghanistan. It is good that Saddam Hussein was finally captured, but right now it is best to focus on the Taliban. I realize that the Taliban has plenty of weapons, one of them that was given to them by the U.S., and the land in Afghanistan in quite mountainous. Therefore, I would make sure our military would be extremely cautious with how they search for the terrorists. The Taliban has various hideouts that the U.S. probably does not know about. I would make sure the army examines has much of the land as possible so that they will know how to find the terrorists. Assuming that we actually overthrow the Taliban completely, it would be beneficial for the U.S. to set up a stronger government. Once this government is in power, it will be able to have control over the terrorists. Hopefully, we will be able to strengthen our friendship with the Middle East if we overthrow the Taliban.
If I were President Obama, the war in Afghanistan would be high on my list of priorities. There has been violence in Afghanistan since the 1970s starting with the Soviet invasion. The innocent citizens have lived in terror for almost 40 years now and they are the highest priority. In order to gain its own freedoms and civil liberties, the Taliban must be demolished which is not an easy task. We would need support from many nations all over the world to contribute troops, funds, and security to attempt to tackle the Taliban. The Taliban has proven to be a dangerous organization due to the terrorist attack on 9/11 and the way they treat citizens of their own country. They are extremely unsafe and could possibly turn into a world threat, which is why they need to be demolished. Unfortunately, since they have such strong roots in violence, that would be the only way to get through to them which means that more troops are needed in Afghanistan.
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-Alex Sewersky
Civics Period 2
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Angela Romano
Period 7
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Nick Guarino period 7
President Obama needs to find a way to track down all terrorist forces. Even if we found the important "role players" in the terror organizations such as Osama Bin Laden, the amount of hatred and deaths will never stop. Its a never ending struggle that will force us, the United States of America, to devote ourselves at all costs to stop terrorism as a whole, or we will give up, doing the same we did in Vietnam. The way President Obama should accomplish this would be to make a bond between our government and the population of the middle east. Once trust is formed, civilians will lead our soldiers to known terrorists. Just like America, people know who the bad guys are if you are around them enough. If President Obama creates trust between our two regions we might have a chance of benefiting from this war by keeping America safe.
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Katherine Peinhardt
Period 7 Civics
If I was President Obama I would try to make peace my number one focus for the country. I would try and reconcile with the Afghan government to keep the peace. Preventing Al Qaeda and Taliban from entering or leaving the country would go hand in hand with keeping the peace. By capturing and eliminating all threats with in the country it will eventually work its self out. American troops have been in Afghanistan longer than troops during WWII. If I was in his shoes(Obama) if peace was kept and the Taliban or Al Qaeda were no longer a threat with in the country or at all, I would slowly move troops out of the safer parts of the country and sending them home. Moving more of the attention to more dangerous and anti civilian friendly areas more cautiously guarded. I would also capture the main leaders such as Osama Bin laden, and bate them out of hiding and then hold them ransom or bribe them into revealing where they are. I also would find it important to finish these steps as soon as possible because it has prolonged for and long time.
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Robin Suraci
period 2
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civics period 2
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Emily Winch
Period 2
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emily ruocco
per. 7
If I were President Obama, objectives I would have for the war in Afghanistan would be to first take out the Taliban because that is one of the main reasons we are in war to begin with. Rather than trying to do two things at once; I would secondly then focus on fixing their government. Once The Taliban is taken out, I would start taking troops home little by little and leaving the remaining ones to help rebuild the city until they are all back home.
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