From Wednesday's NY Times:
"WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has proposed to President Obama that 10,000 American troops remain in Afghanistan when the international combat mission there ends after this year, or none at all, senior government officials said Tuesday.
That figure, debated in recent days within the White House, is the midpoint of a range of 8,000 to 12,000 troops — most of them Americans — that has been contemplated for months as the United States and its NATO allies planned for the long mission’s end. Anything less than that, the officials said, would be too few to be able to protect the reduced retinue of diplomats, military and intelligence officials that remain in Afghanistan.
“The proposal is 10,000 or basically nothing, a pullout,” said one official, who has been briefed on the plan but spoke on the condition of anonymity about internal administration deliberations.
Both the intelligence agencies and the State Department, who would have personnel remaining in Afghanistan after 2014, back the Defense Department’s proposal, the officials said. But it has met resistance among some officials in the White House National Security Council, including Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who question why the choice has to be 10,000 troops or zero, and nothing in between."
My question is: Why are we still deliberating this issue, when we gave President Karzai until December 31, 2013 to agree with the terms of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)? Is this our "line in the sand" policy?
Why are we so eager to continue to put American military forces in harms' way, when the government (?) of Afghanistan vacillates? Did we not learn our lesson with Iraq?
Also since we left, Iraq has fallen into a full-scale civil war. Prime Minister Maliki just last weekend asked us for help in quelling the tide of chaos in his country. The Obama Administration tried to explain that this would happen to al-Maliki during those negotiations, but the Prime Minister apparently knew better.
Note to Karzai: Please look to your neighbor on the other side of Iran, and then, see your future. The Obama Administration has given you your 15 minutes of overtime and the clock is ticking. Now, the two minute warning is fast approaching.
I get that we need to be careful in this process, but we do, after all, hold the upper hand. If we leave by the end of this year, does anyone think that the other coalition countries want to stay just for the scenery? I think not.
Now, President Obama has to take a stand here. He had to tell, not suggest to, Karzai that we are leaving by June 30. If Karzai doesn't sign the SOFA for Afghanistan by February 15, that will give us enough time to remove our troops safely and destroy our assets, before the Taliban takes over. When it does, there won't be any fortifications or other prizes for it to secure itself in and enjoy at our expense.
Trust me, Russia and China won't be rushing into Afghanistan any time soon to post their flags and claim this desolate wasteland for Mother Russia or Mother China. Russia learned its lesson from the 80s and China learned its lesson watching our folly.
Karzai should learn the lesson of Iraq or that will be his legacy to his country for 13 years of war and chaos.
That figure, debated in recent days within the White House, is the midpoint of a range of 8,000 to 12,000 troops — most of them Americans — that has been contemplated for months as the United States and its NATO allies planned for the long mission’s end. Anything less than that, the officials said, would be too few to be able to protect the reduced retinue of diplomats, military and intelligence officials that remain in Afghanistan.
“The proposal is 10,000 or basically nothing, a pullout,” said one official, who has been briefed on the plan but spoke on the condition of anonymity about internal administration deliberations.
Both the intelligence agencies and the State Department, who would have personnel remaining in Afghanistan after 2014, back the Defense Department’s proposal, the officials said. But it has met resistance among some officials in the White House National Security Council, including Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who question why the choice has to be 10,000 troops or zero, and nothing in between."
My question is: Why are we still deliberating this issue, when we gave President Karzai until December 31, 2013 to agree with the terms of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)? Is this our "line in the sand" policy?
Why are we so eager to continue to put American military forces in harms' way, when the government (?) of Afghanistan vacillates? Did we not learn our lesson with Iraq?
Also since we left, Iraq has fallen into a full-scale civil war. Prime Minister Maliki just last weekend asked us for help in quelling the tide of chaos in his country. The Obama Administration tried to explain that this would happen to al-Maliki during those negotiations, but the Prime Minister apparently knew better.
Note to Karzai: Please look to your neighbor on the other side of Iran, and then, see your future. The Obama Administration has given you your 15 minutes of overtime and the clock is ticking. Now, the two minute warning is fast approaching.
I get that we need to be careful in this process, but we do, after all, hold the upper hand. If we leave by the end of this year, does anyone think that the other coalition countries want to stay just for the scenery? I think not.
Now, President Obama has to take a stand here. He had to tell, not suggest to, Karzai that we are leaving by June 30. If Karzai doesn't sign the SOFA for Afghanistan by February 15, that will give us enough time to remove our troops safely and destroy our assets, before the Taliban takes over. When it does, there won't be any fortifications or other prizes for it to secure itself in and enjoy at our expense.
Trust me, Russia and China won't be rushing into Afghanistan any time soon to post their flags and claim this desolate wasteland for Mother Russia or Mother China. Russia learned its lesson from the 80s and China learned its lesson watching our folly.
Karzai should learn the lesson of Iraq or that will be his legacy to his country for 13 years of war and chaos.
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