In War, There is No Timeline
by Jim Josephsen
As Commander in Chief, there stood
President
Obama in the presence of some 4000 of America’s finest, well
trained, disciplined military personnel at the
U.S.
Military Academy. All the courageous men and ladies listening to
President Obama must be scratching their heads; just what did he
say?
Of course, they will do what their Commander in Chief orders. That
responsibility is just part of their sworn duty. Yet all these
trained, polished and prepared military men and women have been
taught; when it comes to war, you fight to win. You do not go to war
with the intention of a stale-mate or to conclude in political kissy
face. A nation goes to battle to win. Anything less than complete
and total victory is a national disgrace, is considered as good as
losing.
And so President Obama said, “I have determined that it is in our
vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to
Afghanistan…after
18 months they will begin to come home.” Now the world knows our
game plan.
With that said, the rhetoric, the commentary, the political spin
begins. The talking heads postulate. To the left, discourse leading
the listener to believe President Obama’s strategy will prove
effective, bringing all our troops home, securing peace in the
region. To the right, tirades and outburst of treason fill the
airwaves. Just how can the President propose a timeline? Does he
have a clue?
Of course, not stated was the fact that President Obama made no
mention of how many troops would be pulled out in July 2011. How
long will the pullout take? Yet determined, he presses on.
What is the United States in for? With the President’s decision, the
U.S. will have a military force in Afghanistan of approximately
100,000 young brave men and women, American citizens. Some 55
percent of Americans believe more will only die in vain. Only 35
percent of the American public supports the war in Afghanistan,
believing it to be necessary for any hope of lasting peace in the
area.
According to President Obama the troop buildup is meant for one
purpose only; to bring the war to a successful conclusion. Of course
defeating and destroying
Al Qaeda and the
Taliban
insurgency is part of the purpose. But just how long will that take?
The irony is, had
President George W. Bush accomplished what he originally set out
to do in October 2001, President Obama would not be making such a
mistake in setting a timeline for withdrawal. President Bush did not
stay the course to win the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
It looks as though President Obama’s strategy will not finish the
job either. In essence President Obama is telling the world, we will
quit playing war games in Afghanistan in 2011.
Still much more can be said, as the rhetoric brews and political
pundits posture in their criticisms, both for and against the new
directives. In focusing in on Afghanistan, key elements are missing.
Afghanistan ranks among the world’s third poorest nations. It
contributes nearly 90 percent of the world’s total heroine
distribution. It is a nation that neglects human rights and stifles
women’s rights. Illiteracy is rampant throughout the majority of its
population. Clearly a nation in a time warp, it is fertile ground
for the militant fundamentalist teaching of the Taliban and Al
Qaeda.
President Obama made his best attempts at unifying a much divided
America. Attempting to please everyone, to pull the nation together
on this war, the President made it clear he is well versed in
pluralistic
doctrine. He is the consummate politician. He needs Congress to
fund the war. He needs the American public to understand why we are
fighting. In echoing President George W. Bush’s battle cry of some
eight years ago, President Obama reminded the American public that
terrorism came to our soil and it launched from the terra-cotta of
Afghanistan. Afghanistan, President Obama said, is the epicenter of
the violent extremism practiced by Al Qaeda. How true these words
are.
Still lost in the speech and the commentary is a reality that speaks
volumes. The Taliban and Al Qaeda were listening as well.
Those who are versed in the history and objectives of militant Islam
understand that Islam looks at the world and concepts relevant to
time differently than does the average American, perhaps even
differently than does President Obama. Islam in general and Al Qaeda
in particular understands that, “Americans have watches, but we have
time.”
Quite a curious statement but packed with meaning. While Americans
live with a mindset of “I want it now,” “fast-food,” “instant
gratification,” “I can’t wait that long,” “get it done” mentality,
the Islamic world
knows time is an element of life that works for you, that should not
be rushed. Five years, ten years is a small passage of time when the
objectives are purposed and the rewards are clear. If the objective
is the destruction of the materialistic, self-promoting,
self-serving, “great Satan” America, then two, five or ten years are
but a moment in time.
For Americans, five years of war is “like forever,” and a waste of
time, a waste of resources, a waste of lives, a waste of money. Of
course America is going broke, steeped in debt that threatens our
future. President Obama realizes Americans want to get back to the
“good old days.” Americans don’t want a prolonged war. And to please
the people, President Obama proposes we call it quits come July,
2011.
You can expect very little resistance from the Taliban or Al Qaeda
over the next two years. Cat and mouse games will be played in
Afghanistan and
Pakistan, but now the strategy has changed. Al Qaeda and the
Taliban will lay low and may even encourage the inept and listless
Afghans to cooperate with the American forces; make America believe
it has secured peace. Don’t for one minute think that either Al
Qaeda or the Taliban are without political acumen. If the American
military feels they are successful in educating the Afghans to the
point of self-sufficiency; if the Administration feels the situation
has stabilized, then American troops will leave the region feeling
the mission has been accomplished.
Afghanistan will be brought to a successful conclusion, President
Obama affirms. Victory is not necessary, many conclude he means. Of
course, there was no mention of the other enemy,
Iran. But that’s not
on the table right now. Americans want out of
Iraq and they want
out of Afghanistan, and America now has its timeline.
For the next two years, the enemy in Afghanistan will wait, watch,
position and prepare; waiting for the right time, for the right
moment. By mid-2011, the exit will commence, we’re told. No more
war. But then again, the enemy heard the President’s words too! It
is now only a matter of time. “For when they shall say, peace and
safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a
woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
