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America in a fix
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=206261
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Dr Farrukh Saleem
Consider this: For America, 2010 is election year. American voters will elect 435 new members for the House of Representatives. American voters will elect 36 new senators. American voters will elect 36 new governors.
Consider this: According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, A majority of Americans...see the war in Afghanistan as not worth fighting, and just a quarter say more U.S. troops should be sent to the country.
Consider this: One American soldier in Afghanistan costs America one million dollars a year (Rs80 million per soldier per year). General McChrystal, Commander US forces in Afghanistan (USFOR-A), is asking for 40,000 additional troops thats an additional $40 billion a year on top of the $65 billion that America is already spending.
Consider this: October has been the deadliest month for American soldiers in Afghanistan. US military fatalities stand at 55; the next highest toll, 51, was in August (more than 900 American soldiers have died since 2001).
President Barack Obama is in a fix as Vice President Joe Biden is not in favour of sending in more troops. Others who are siding with Biden include Secretary Defence, Robert Gates, Chief of Staff of the US Army General George Casey, Obamas war czar Lt General Douglas Lute and United States National Security Advisor, James Jones.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen is in favour of sending in more troops. Those on Mullens side include the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke, Chairman US Senate Committee on Homeland Security Senator Joe Lieberman and Chairman Senate Committee on Armed Services Senator Carl Levin.
What would it be? The Afghan quagmire isnt Obamas he only inherited it. Obamas Afghan judgment, however, would define his presidency. To be certain, fighting a losing battle in an election year doesnt make much sense. If Republicans gain a majority in the House of Representatives, Obamas presidential agenda could stand neutered.
There is clearly a clash of two timelines taking place right now in Afghanistan. President Obama faces a finite, time-bound timeline congressional election in 2010, his own election campaign begins in 2011 and then presidential election the following year. The Afghans fighting America, as a sharp contrast, have an almost infinite timeline; they have been here-and fighting-for the past thousand years and will be here and fighting for the next thousand. In Afghanistan, the Afghan timeline, therefore, is bound to outlive the American timeline.
Then theres the Russian bear apart from Iraq and Afghanistan to contend with. The Russians are re-exerting themselves in the Baltic region Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. They are beefing up in the Caucasus-Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russia is fortifying its will in Central Asia-Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
America is in a fix and by that logic, Pakistan is in a double-fix. Over the past seven years, a little more than 900 Americans have died while Pakistani fatalities in terrorist-related violence stand at a colossal 22,711. American soldiers are waging a war 11,000 away kilometres from home while the American homeland remains safe. On the other hand, the whole of Pakistan is on fire. There hasnt been a single suicide attack in America but over the past seven years, Pakistan has gone through 199 suicide attacks.
America has no good options left. Sadly, neither does Pakistan.
The writer is the executive director of the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). Email: farrukh [email protected]
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=206261
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Dr Farrukh Saleem
Consider this: For America, 2010 is election year. American voters will elect 435 new members for the House of Representatives. American voters will elect 36 new senators. American voters will elect 36 new governors.
Consider this: According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, A majority of Americans...see the war in Afghanistan as not worth fighting, and just a quarter say more U.S. troops should be sent to the country.
Consider this: One American soldier in Afghanistan costs America one million dollars a year (Rs80 million per soldier per year). General McChrystal, Commander US forces in Afghanistan (USFOR-A), is asking for 40,000 additional troops thats an additional $40 billion a year on top of the $65 billion that America is already spending.
Consider this: October has been the deadliest month for American soldiers in Afghanistan. US military fatalities stand at 55; the next highest toll, 51, was in August (more than 900 American soldiers have died since 2001).
President Barack Obama is in a fix as Vice President Joe Biden is not in favour of sending in more troops. Others who are siding with Biden include Secretary Defence, Robert Gates, Chief of Staff of the US Army General George Casey, Obamas war czar Lt General Douglas Lute and United States National Security Advisor, James Jones.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen is in favour of sending in more troops. Those on Mullens side include the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke, Chairman US Senate Committee on Homeland Security Senator Joe Lieberman and Chairman Senate Committee on Armed Services Senator Carl Levin.
What would it be? The Afghan quagmire isnt Obamas he only inherited it. Obamas Afghan judgment, however, would define his presidency. To be certain, fighting a losing battle in an election year doesnt make much sense. If Republicans gain a majority in the House of Representatives, Obamas presidential agenda could stand neutered.
There is clearly a clash of two timelines taking place right now in Afghanistan. President Obama faces a finite, time-bound timeline congressional election in 2010, his own election campaign begins in 2011 and then presidential election the following year. The Afghans fighting America, as a sharp contrast, have an almost infinite timeline; they have been here-and fighting-for the past thousand years and will be here and fighting for the next thousand. In Afghanistan, the Afghan timeline, therefore, is bound to outlive the American timeline.
Then theres the Russian bear apart from Iraq and Afghanistan to contend with. The Russians are re-exerting themselves in the Baltic region Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. They are beefing up in the Caucasus-Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russia is fortifying its will in Central Asia-Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
America is in a fix and by that logic, Pakistan is in a double-fix. Over the past seven years, a little more than 900 Americans have died while Pakistani fatalities in terrorist-related violence stand at a colossal 22,711. American soldiers are waging a war 11,000 away kilometres from home while the American homeland remains safe. On the other hand, the whole of Pakistan is on fire. There hasnt been a single suicide attack in America but over the past seven years, Pakistan has gone through 199 suicide attacks.
America has no good options left. Sadly, neither does Pakistan.
The writer is the executive director of the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). Email: farrukh [email protected]
