During the 2010 midterm elections there was little discussion of the current military operations in Afghanistan. As the nation's longest military struggle continues some are beginning to question the feasibility and necessity of this military exercise.Below you will find several articles relevant to the Afghan debate. After reading these articles construct a response in which you analyze the articles and evaluate the current state of the war in Afghanistan.
Obama's isolation grows on the Afghanistan war
Hoping to Avoid Bombs and Win Afghan Minds
Troops Shouldn't Be Nation Building
After ten years of being in Afghanistan, it seems as if the conditions are at a stalemate. In the beginning, there was much support for the war effort because they were there to target the Taliban for attacking the United States, but now support is being lost because it seems that the troops are there for no reason whatsoever. The war is costing a lot of money and casualty rates are drastically increasing every year. With the costs of the war being so high, quite a few people are worried it will take away from the economic problems our nation is currently facing. Democrats are even in revolt of the war, and that could be a problem for Obama in 2012. With his plan to not bring the troops home until 2014, the war will be a big issue people look at when he runs for re-election in 2012. If people do not support his plan, then they will vote against him.
ReplyDeleteAmericans and Representatives are questioning why we are fighting this war. Christopher Preble said that it is looking like Obama’s war more and more over time and also questioned, “What are we trying to accomplish in Afghanistan?” Rand Paul also asked, “Do we need to be there?” The reason the United States attacked in the first place was to over throw the Taliban, which was accomplished. What the government of the United States is trying to do now is create a government in a place where it seems to be impossible to do so. Afghanistan’s own citizens are fighting against us, without them on our side it will not work. They are linked to the Taliban and are afraid to go against them in fear that they will be killed. But there are also people for the war saying that there are threats to America’s national security and we need to be there until the job is done.
Bombs are another issue that the troops are having overseas. The people of Afghanistan are setting mines and bombs, not just the Taliban. The troops have to take alternate routes to avoid these bombs; they are sometimes in unexpected areas though. It is a difficult problem and hard to defeat. They are being paid to do this and are trying to save their own lives. If they do not listen to the Taliban they could be killed. It is not that the people do not want the American troops help, they actually appreciate them, they are just afraid of their own leaders. That is why this war is becoming very difficult to win. The only time the people really help out is when they are affected by a bomb and want revenge, which seems to happen quite often. The two biggest opponents of Americans are the actual fighters and the fact that the people who they need help from are afraid and will not give out information because they are in fear.
Over the last ten years, casualties have spiked and support for the war has decreased. Polls show that support rates for the war were higher in September of 2001, but now they have decreased. The cost is very high and people are upset that more and more troops are being sent over. The plan is to start bringing troops out in 2014 but there are still some people skeptical about this plan. Obama has already changed it from July 2011 and many believe it will probably just be pushed back more. The only party really for the war right now is the Republicans. Without support of the people, Obama is not likely to be re-elected in 2012. The war needs to end as soon as possible; we have many problems in our own country that could be fixed with the money and effort being put in to a war that is merely pointless.
President Obama has lost support from the Democrats by extending the date for troops to be brought home to 2014. He has also gone against the Republican views of not having a deadline and letting the war go on until the U.S. has accomplished what they went there to do. Recent polls have shown that only one in four Americans agree with President Obama's plan to exrend the deadline until 2014. President Obama's goal in Afghanistan is to create a stable government that can't be used as a base for terrorism against the United States. Four in ten Americans believe that troops should be withdrawn sooner than the 2014 deadline that Obama has given; but another four in ten say the troops should stay in combat as long as it takes. Right after the attacks of 9/11 nine in ten Americans believed that combat was necessary, but now four in ten believe that it is a mistake. Some Americans believe that the war is a waste of lives, time , and money. The money can be used for funding schools or building new roads. 45% of Americans believe that things are going well for troops in Afghanistan, but there is still a majority of 55% that beleive things are going badly. Only 5% of voters said that the war was the major issue that would help determine their vote in this year's election.
ReplyDeleteThe extra troops that were sent to Afghanistan this year by President Obama are spending their time searching the fields for bombs that were laid out by the Afghans. Is this the reason that Obama sent them over there? To search fields for bombs or to try to stabalize the government so the attacks will end? Many Americans are confused to why we are still fighting this war and where is it getting us. Colonal Lemons explains that sending troops out can get them closer with the civilians and in turn they may find out who the key leaders are. Many of the Afghan civilians are afraid of their government and what it can do to them.
The date for troops to come home started out being 2011. Some say this was to keep the liberals calm. Changing the date to 2014 is said to be done to keep the Republicans and Pentagon calm. The war is said to be a lost cause. Soldiers are losing their lives for no reasons. The war is being fought without sufficient resources, a strategy that could succeed, and the government is working on other things, not just a victory. Even if the U.S. is able to set up a stable government in Afghanistan who will be able to maintain it. This war has already been the country's longest war and there is no end in sight. Some beleive it has also been the most pointless war and it must come to an end.
Last year, President Obama announced he was sending an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan with a promise to begin withdrawing them in 2011. That date has now been moved back to 2014. Obama’s goal is to create a stable Afghanistan that can't be used as a base for terrorism against the USA. The public is divided over the issue of the war. About four in ten Americans, including half of Democrats, say troops should be withdrawn sooner than Obama proposes. Another four in ten, including 61% of Republicans, say the U.S. should be prepared to keep combat forces there as long as it takes. Establishing a stable Afghanistan is important, but how long must it take for this to be accomplished? Many Americans have similar thoughts as they wonder what is taking so long.
ReplyDeleteWhile the troops are in Afghanistan, they do face many challenges. The Taliban does not hesitate to set up traps in order to send messages to American forces. Many of these traps include I.E.D.’s, and the troops are working to find the ones responsible. They receive some help from locals in Afghanistan, but they are hesitant to tell whether the Taliban pass through or not. The locals are fearful of the Taliban and their influence, but they still offer as much help as they can.
“Our nation's longest war is quickly becoming our nation's most pointless war.” In 2001, the United States went into Afghanistan with a clear, laid out mission. This mission was to simply punish those responsible for 9/11. Now, the mission is to stabilize Afghanistan. This mission seems very time-consuming, if not impossible. It is hard to believe that the Afghanistan government will uphold whatever peace American troops set up. The war in Afghanistan is looking like an open-ended war; there is no definite end in sight. Protecting the United States from terrorism is very important, but how much longer do American troops have to die for a war that no longer has meaning?
Sometime last year 30,000 soldiers were deployed to Afghanistan, and it was said that they would be withdrawn sometime around July of 2011. It is now found out that the date has been pushed pack until 2014, but for what reason? That it is a question that many people in America are intending to know. What is going on in "Obama's War" to keep these soldiers in Afghanistan for an additional 3 more years? Obama's goal is to have a stable Afghanistan that can't be used as a base for terrorism against the USA. After polls it seems that democrats and republicans are equally split with their opinions of wanting troops to stay as long as they need to, and wanting them to come home. Four out of 10 people say that this mission was a mistake, but back after 9/11, polls showed that citizens were on the same page with nine out of 10 Americans supporting the mission. When Election Day came along, only 5% of voters said that Afghanistan was their most important issue in determining their vote. It barely registered as an issue. Many politicians such as McCain, McGovern, and McKeon disagree with the president about how troops won't be returning until 2014.
ReplyDeleteThe second article explains the struggles that the troops seem to face are with Taliban's setting booby traps, and mines everywhere, the men who had arrived as part of the extra 30,000 soldiers and were deployed to southern Afghanistan are planned to stay there and to make sure that the Taliban do not return. They are patrolling all the time to find out who is laying the I.E.D's. It has been difficult to find out because many villagers and teenagers are assumed to get paid to lay the traps out for the Taliban. But villagers have also been a big help with discovering and to help find out who the key leaders are. The troops are using many strategies to stay away from the traps; they never take the same route twice and usually never take paths, but go through fields. Captain Reed said that they have been finding I.E.D's before they have been made which gives them the idea and impression that they are getting closer.
In the last article, the statements made were logical. "The nation's longest war shows no sign of ending," and "Our nation's longest war is quickly becoming our nation's most pointless war.” Both of these statements were logical because this war has been ongoing and in the beginning there was a reason and an importance to it. But it has seemed to have no purpose for a while and it seems to want to continue and time needs to be extended for soldiers to remain. So if it is pointless as of now and is not over, then what can stop it?
After reading these articles it can be concluded that there really isn't a point in this war anymore. And it is obvious that the question is, “What is going on?” Is it honestly worth it to have our soldiers fighting until 2014 or maybe even longer, if there is no purpose or reason to be given? And with the numbers of deaths increasing like they have from the past and until now, our soldiers need to be home. Americans questioning and doubting the use and practice of this war is certain. What is the point of the war? It makes Americans wonder, what is the point of a 9 year war that is still continuing and what hasn't been accomplished, or what still needs to be done.
The first article, titled “Obama’s isolation grows on the Afghan war,” is the most neutral-sided of the three articles. The article reports on all sides of the debate over Obama’s new plan to remove all troops from Afghanistan by 2014. One side of the debate says that Obama’s deadline is too short, and it is almost certain that we will still be in Afghanistan at that time due to a lack of Afghan troops able to fight the Taliban. The other side of critics states that the deadline is too long and Obama needs to pull troops out sooner, saying the government dollars being spent on the war effort could be better used to build schools, roads and bridges in the United States. According to a USA TODAY/Gallup poll, only 20% of Americans agree with Obama’s 2014 deadline.
ReplyDeleteMany Democrats are in favor of a shorter deadline while many Republicans believe the deadline is a wasted hope. However, Obama has gained support in some very unexpected places. One of his unexpected supporters is Howard Dean, who had fueled his presidential nominee campaign with heavy opposition to the war in Iraq. Dean stated “The president is doing the best he can to bring about stability. ...While the odds of success are long, we have to give the president whatever support he needs.” This is likely the viewpoint shared by most of Obama’s supporters.
The second article, titled “Hoping to Avoid Bombs and Win Afghan Minds,” details the troops’ battle working against the I.E.D.’s while trying to stay on the good side of Afghan civilians. The troops almost never take gateways or paths in order to avoid mines set down by the Taliban or civilians in need of money. To do this, troops often cut through corn fields and orchards and climb walls rather than going through the gate. The civilians sometimes help the soldiers, however silently. Sometimes a company will come across a cut detonation cord, or will be lead to a known bomb by a villager. However, when asked whether the Taliban has passed through, villagers often respond saying the Taliban will kill them if they tell.
The third article heavily supports removing the troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible. The article says that at first, the American presence overseas was justified, but now, it merely a waste of time and money with insufficient resources to accomplish the task at hand. The article continues on to explain that Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan is hopeless and pointless. It also asks how, as a nation, the United States can send so many young men to fight overseas while having virtually no expectation of success.
The war in Afghanistan somewhat resembles a stalemate. American troops can secure and protect villages, but do not have the resources to completely expel the Taliban from large cities. As a nation, the United States seems to be at a loss for what to do. While some believe the war is a lost cause, there are still others who believe the war can be won, it will just take time. This forces Obama to walk to thin line, trying to satisfy both groups, and leaves him virtually alone in his opinions. While many are condemning the president’s strategy, a few have realised that the president needs the support of the nation, or else nothing may get done and the situation will stay the same.
In the first article, “Americans view Afghanistan war with skepticism, anxiety”, the fact that many Americans see the War on Terror is a nuisance prevails throughout. Since the arrival of our troops in Afghanistan, gradually, support for the war has gone down, more so in the liberal viewpoint. While this may be so, the polls indicate that most Americans wish for the troops to complete their objective before withdrawal. Funding to the war has proved to be very costly and some feel that it could affect the government’s ability to deal with issues and fix problems at home. Factors such as those criticize the war’s feasibility. It is often questioned the fiscal sanity of this war’s foundation. When it comes to the time of the withdrawal of force, citizens are basically divided equally. According to the study posted in this article, 4/10 Americans say that troops should be withdrawn sooner that Barack Obama has proposed; the same fraction of Americans that say the war should have as long as it needs. With the outcome unknown yet, it is certain that Americans are ready for a new plan.
ReplyDeleteIn “Hoping to Avoid Bombs and Win Afghan Minds”, the second article, a close report of the war is given in extensive detail. In small towns and villages throughout Afghanistan, soldiers have to keep a close and open eye for improvised explosive devices. Commonly found in walking areas, soldiers, as a result, must choose their path carefully and detour to avoid getting injured or killed. Not only must they take extra precaution, but the must make acquaintance with the civilians. Doing so not only helps to ensure that they show support for their placement, but also enables them to assist the war effort. Many civilians can help find and disarm these improvised explosive devices. The construction of an I.E.D was mainly done by the Taliban, but now they are outsourcing to civilians for money. Young civilians such as teenagers are be consulted for these purposes, but sometimes fall short in terms of I.E.D construction. With the support of civilians and the extra precaution, a much safer Afghanistan can start its process.
The author’s opinion can easily be detected early on in the third article, “Troops Shouldn’t Be Nation Building”. The author exerts that he feels that the war is a lost cause and that the United States shouldn’t knowing send troops to their death for a war that they know is not worthwhile. Indicated in the article is that fact that the U.S. first had to objective to end the war early to please the liberals but changed it to fit the Republican views. His thoughts represent the viewpoint that the war will just go on until the nation is tired of such or has the resources to continue a dedicated fight. Until then, he makes the notion that soldiers will just continue to die. Towards the end, standing back on his viewpoint, he makes it clear that we should’ve never entered this war because Afghanistan cannot gain order throughout and that we have lost our original incentive for engaging in such. The author deeply feels distraught about this war, showing extreme concern for the public to trigger action.
There has been a great amount of controversy over the War in Afghanistan. According to the article, Obama’s isolation grows on the Afghanistan war, it is learned that Obama originally planned on beginning to withdraw the troops in July 2011. However, it is now said that all troops will not be out of Afghanistan until 2014. It seems as though Obama does not have much support. Both Democrats and Republicans want oppose his new 2014 date of withdraw. In this article, it states that 40% of Americans want the troops to be withdrawn sooner, but 40% also think that the troops should be kept overseas as long as it takes. The support for the war has also dropped dramatically. Right after the war started, 90% of Americans supported it, but now 40% of Americans oppose the war. Many people wonder if the war can actually be won and if the cost of the war is really worth it. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell wonders if down the road, all of this money put into the war will pay off. He thinks that the money could be used for things like schools, highways, and bridges in the United States.
ReplyDeleteIn Afghanistan, there are things called improvised explosive devices, IEDs. The Taliban sets them up, or they have others in the villages set them up. When platoons walk through the villages, the IEDs can blow up, injuring and possibly killing them. It is hard to tell who sets the IEDs. In the article, Hoping to avoid bombs and win Afghan minds, it is mentioned that farmers, teenagers, and construction workers have set IEDs. The platoons patrol the villages searching for these devices and often find some that are not fully set up. IEDs are often assembled the wrong way, which causes them not to go off when they are supposed to go off. Captain Reed says that the troops are catching IEDs before they are made. This means that they are getting closer and making progress.
According to the article, Troops shouldn’t be nation building, the support for the war is now negative for the first time. In the most recent poll taken by Quinnipiac, 44% of Americans support the war and 50% of Americans do not. The only political party who wants the war to continue is the Republicans. Tony Blankley, the author of this article, said that the war will continue until a president decides they have had enough or they decide to actually fight to win. This is the longest war in the history of the United States, and it does not have any hope of ending soon. Obama did not tell the public about his plan to push back the withdrawal date until after the midterm elections.
Most Democrats do not agree with President Obama’s decision in sending even more troops over to Afghanistan. Furthermore they do not agree with the new decision to start pulling the troops out until 2014. It looks like this war will not be over anytime soon and will still be going on when Obama is up for reelection in 2012. On Election Day, this past November, many Americans did not even focus on the war, instead focused on bringing more jobs to the states and health care laws. But, Americans are deeply divided on this issue. Some say the troops should be taken out sooner rather than later, but others say to keep the troops there as long as it takes. The issue of, is the war costing too much, is another big debate. Some do not think keeping troops over in Afghanistan for ten more years and putting a ton of money in this war is going to make a significant difference. Others comment to say they would like to see focus on a win instead of timetables. This has been Americans’ longest war and Obama needs to find a way to solve these problems.
ReplyDeleteAmerican soldiers stationed over in Afghanistan are trying to bring peace. The Taliban keep planting bombs and booby traps making it hard for the American soldiers to build peace. Their goal is to get to know the locals so they will be trusted. It is working slowly; many citizens say they feel safer when the American soldiers are there. But the soldiers do not have their complete trust because if they ever ask who or where the Taliban is the locals get scared and say they will get killed. The soldiers need to find out who is planting these bombs. With so many suspects, including farmers or teenagers possibly doing this it is hard to catch them. There is progress though, the soldiers are finding bombs half assembled, meaning the people who are assembling them are close and are afraid of getting caught. The COPs are gathering information each day by the citizens about who the leaders are.
The current state of the war is slow progress. Each day the soldiers learn something new that can be helpful. If sending over more troops is what it takes to win the war, I guess that is what we have to do. It is costing a lot and we need to remember there are problems here in the states also but the sooner we can win the war the better.
President Obama has extended the date of the troops being broughht home to 2014. Some recent polls show one of four agree with Obama's actions. As the years go on the percentage of people who think it was a mistake to send military forces to afghanistan has grown from 9% in 2001 to 39% in 2010. Obama has a goal of creating a stable Afghanistan that can't be used as a base for terrorism against the USA. Four in 10 Americans, including half of Democrats believe that troops should be withdrawn sooner than what he had proposed. Also four in 10, including 61% of Republicans think that the US should keep troops there as long as it takes.
ReplyDeleteMany Americans are confused on why we are still fighting this war, they're not sure if they were brought there to spending time search fields for bombs or stabalize the government. In time they gained the locals help and support while there. The Taliban pays farmers to lay I.E.D's because soldiers are walking through their fields. Some mines are poorly assembeled or don't go off, so some believe that the Talban has pulled out there I.E.D experts and left a few "less-well-trained local boys to carry on the work."
The target date for turning the fighting over to the Afghan government was pushed back to 2014,and that presumably is to keep Republicans and Pentagon calm. The war is being fought without sufficient resources, without a strategy than can remotely succeed. It also seems that his war, this country's longest war, has no definite end to it in sight. It seems very unlikely that the government that has been set up by U.S troops will be able to be maintained by the Afghanistan government.
There is no real answer to if we should still be fighting the war in Afghanistan. The opinion of the war can literally change from person to person and the country is extremely divided on the issue. This disagreement is probably the reason why there has not been much policy created in regards to the war. The war can also be looked as in a few different aspects. It can be looked at economically, by the death toll, or by the results. The articles cover all of these aspects and indeed have differing viewpoints.
ReplyDeleteThe USA Today article really looks at the war economically and how the common citizens of the U.S. view the war. One problem people have is the real answer to when the soldiers will be pulled out. The most recent date was July 2011, but for many 2014 seems more reasonable. The Republicans do not want a time-line set and just want to win the war. The differing viewpoints of the Republican and Democrats can also cause a gridlock and a lot of tension. People know why we are there, but the question many are asking is; do we really still need to be there? People are starting to become less and less content with the war and many now agree that it should be ended. There are still some out there in favor of the war though. Many Politicians are putting in their thoughts on the war. Ed Rendell says he has faith but really thinks we bit off more than we could swallow this time. This is our longest war ever but it doesn’t really seem to get the attention of congress or the public very much. With the Democrats holding the House the anti-war protest should start back up. Some now dare say that this is Obama’s war because of the public’s distrust in the war. Overall a lot of people have changed their minds about the war and no one can really come up with a good answer to what we will do with this war that everyone will agree on. So, it looks like this war could last a while longer.
The N.Y. Times article viewed the war in a positive manner. It got out of the congress’ and the public’s view on the war and reviewed some successes and difficult aspects of the war. Many soldiers cannot follow routine because it will lead to death. Even though the Taliban deserted some areas their influence is still strong. They will pay locals to set up bombs for the U.S. soldiers to accidentally step on. The aspect of fear is obvious when it comes to the Taliban and the locals. The locals will usually not speak of who is in the Taliban because of fear of death. The Taliban is desperately trying to push out U.S. forces, but the U.S. just keeps pushing back with more. It seems like a never ending process. A big part of their success is local support. The more locals they can convince to help them the easier their job can be. Although many soldiers are killed each month some still think that we are still having success. There will always be the other side to that story present.
The final article from Real Clear Politics goes back to how many lives are lost and if we should really still be in this war. Many men and women have died in this war and this really raises concern of many Americans. Should we keep all these soldiers over there if they are just going to be killed? This war is taking vast numbers of resources and many question if we can keep this up. The progress is said to be very slow and minimal for the Afghans and 2014 now does not even seen reasonable to remove the troops. It is hard to form a solid, functioning government in a country that was not successful in the first place. So, are we really wasting our time in Afghanistan? Or is there hope for the future? Only time will tell us the answers to these and many other questions that the American people are constantly asking.
There are a lot of mixed feelings and controversies about the war. About a year ago an announcement was made to deploy 30,000 service members to Afghanistan and set a timeline for the soldiers to withdrawal in July 2011 but now administrators say combat troops will start to withdrawal in 2014 instead. Democrats are at odds with President Obama because the party wants the troops out faster and the Republicans are opposing the timeline this almost guarantees that the war will still be ongoing in 2012. There is a divide in the public and people are questioning if this war is even worth it.
ReplyDeleteSoldiers have been charged with bringing security to some parts of Afghanistan. In Kandahar soldiers are sweeping through fields and scaling walls to avoid improvised explosive devices or I.E.D.’s. They rarely go the same way twice or go through gateways knowing that there is more likely that there is a booby trap waiting for them. The soldiers for the next year are suppose to find the I.E.D.’s and to remove them and make sure that the Taliban do not return. Since the soldiers have been there they have found an “obscene amount” of explosives. Sometimes though the I.E.D.’s are assembled poorly and do not explode leading to the conclusion that they have local boys making the explosives and they most likely do it for the money. But in this war the case is often easier to drive the Taliban out but not keep them away.
The distant date of 2014 is presumably to keep the “pro-war Republicans and Pentagon calm.” But for anyone with a rational mind will see that it can sometimes be hard to stay calm with this war. With this war it can be hard to win without a significant amount of resources. The amount of soldiers being recruited and soldiers willing to fight are short of what the army has expected. This is already our nation’s longest war and there is no real sign of it ending anytime soon. So every month until our troops are out we will continue to lose 50-150 of our troops. “A war that can't be won should never be fought.” (Tony Blankley) But can we win this war?
Currently, many American troops are stationed in Afghanistan and many people are starting to wonder why. The first article, Obama’s isolation grows on the Afghanistan war, Obama has changed the date of withdrawing troops in Afghanistan from July 2011 to the end of 2014, conditions permitting. The reason being, that President Obama wants to create a stable government in Afghanistan that cannot be used as a base for terrorism against the United States. Only one in five Americans agree with this new timetable, thus creating one of the President’s lowest levels of support on any policy position. Also, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, nine out of ten people supported combat missions. But, compare this to another poll which says that four out of ten people believe that military operation was a mistake.
ReplyDeleteAlso, a 54% majority claim that things in Afghanistan are going badly for the United States, and a two to one ratio says that Americans are starting to worry that war’s cost will make it more difficult for the government to address and take care of domestic problems. And being how that war has been prolonged for almost ten years, more and more Americans are beginning to concentrate on other situations. In the last midterm elections, only 5% of Americans said that the war in Afghanistan is a major problem, next to 39% of Americans who thought of unemployment, 25% of Americans dealing with health care, and 17% of Americans about the deficit.
In the second article, Hoping to avoid bombs and win Afghan minds, part of the extra 30,000 American troops that President Obama deployed this year the southern Afghanistan, who are now part of the Fourth Infantry Division, are going to stay Arghandab District to prevent the Taliban from returning. And, to do this, these troops must find out who is laying the I.E.D.’s. Also, since arriving ten weeks ago, the troops have found roughly 1,000 pounds of explosives.
This is actually the first time I’ve heard anything about this problem, but granted I do not know too much about the war in Afghanistan, but I think the question now is did president Obama know about this? And, if he did is this the reason why he sent the extra troops?
In the third article, Troops shouldn’t be nation building, people argue that the reason that President Obama changed the date to bring troops home was because he wanted to keep the president’s liberals, pro-war Republicans, and the Pentagon calm. Is this true? Well, I feel like it very well could be, with President Obama losing so much support from his fellow Democrats, this could help him gain support from other Republicans that previously did not support him. As this being the nation’s longest war, people also claim that it seems as though it will never end.
The reason America is in the War on Terror is understandable: the 9/11 attacks were planned there and immediate action was needed to prevent Al-Qaeda from attacking again. During these past ten years, we haven’t accomplished our entire goal, but we have taken care of most of Al-Qaeda Though many people are starting to question whether the money spent, increasing casualties and our soldiers risking being injured by Taliban bombs and other traps is even worth it. One thing is clear, Obama is starting to have less supporters on his deadline to start pulling out troops in 2014.
ReplyDeleteThe Republicans have always not supported Obama with his deadline. According to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, about 61% of Republicans surveyed in the poll say that America should feel that deadlines are unnecessary and we should keep in troops as long as it takes to win the war. Even the Democrats are starting to go against Obama, with about half or even more of the people surveyed say they would like the troops out sooner, at about 2011 or so. Many people are not in support of Obama’s decision because of the fact that troops are in risk of being killed everyday by Taliban traps and scared citizens.
Our troops have to watch every single move they make, even being where they step. The Taliban have numerous amounts of traps set up everywhere, including gateways and other common walking paths. The troops have to go out of their ways to even walk, let alone even fight for their safety. Farmers, young men and other citizens have set up traps for the Taliban to harm the American militia overseas. The reasons for these traps being set up vary. Many farmers are tired of the troops walking through their farms, while citizens are tired of the violence that this war has brought to their homes.
The biggest worry about the American citizens is the country’s current economic crisis, and other domestic policies including health care and unemployment. It’s just as simple as this: the current deficit should be the number one priority, and more funding for the war would cause an even bigger deficit. Our resources are too scarce to keep supplying the troops, and our forces do not have a true legitimate strategy to become victorious before we are pulled out, or most likely before 2014. So far, it looks like the United States is fighting a war that we have slim chances of winning.
From the several graphs shown in the first article it seems as though the american people are getting wary of the war in Afganistan and are begining to question our presence there. When Obama gave his speech at West Point he announced the deployment of 30,000 additional troops to Afganistan. The withdral date on the trops was first set to be 2011 but ended up getting pushed back to 2014. Obama also said that the american people do understand why we are in Afganistan, but many of them are concerned about how long we have been over there.
ReplyDeletePatrolling through Afganistan is a deadly task that many of our soldiers have to face. The constant worrying about traps has led many to use unconventional methods of getting around, such as climbing walls and going through feilds. It is these methods that probably save many soldiers from being seriously injured. Many of the patrols are actually helping cut down on I.E.D placement because sometimes soldiers find partially assembled weapons.
The war should have been over a long time ago. our true intentions for entering the war were good, it seems that along the way way we got distracted from the real goal. Rebuilding Afganstan should not be our main focus. withdrawing our troops would be the best bet, so we can get to work on cutting down the debt and quit spending so much money.
One year ago Obama annouced he was going to send 30,000 troops to Afghanistan and they will return in 2011. Now for some reason Obama has said the troops will return in 2014. whose to say when that deadline comes he will push it back farther to 2016. Many of his own Democrats think that the troops should come back home soon. Obama is losing support of his own Democrats and of the American people. In 2012 during Obama's re-election the war will still be going on. He will have many big cases to cover. Two are the war and the economy. A lot of people feel that sending more troops is not worth it, and the people that believe it is worth it right now feel that in the future it will hurt the economy. Even though it feels like almost everyone wants the troops out, the statistics show that 40% of the people want the troops to remain in Afghanistan until the plan is complete. 38% believe that the troops should be removed faster. 20% agree with Obama's 2014 time table, and 2% have no opinion.
ReplyDeleteWhile the troops are in Afghanistan they are trying to find out who is laying the improvised explosive devices, or the I.E.D's. They think it is civilians or teenagers just trying to make some money. The troops never go the same route twice because they know that could certainly lead to death. It is very important for the troops to gain the trust and respect of the civilians so that they dont lead them into the mines. The Taliban are paying the farmers to place mines in their fields because they know they wont go on the paths. Luckily some of the mines are put together by rookies because some of them are duds or put half together.
The author in the final article believes that we should'nt send any troops because they are dying, so its like trying to fly when you know your going to fall. I kind of disagree with this, yes the deaths have incresed but only about 455 troops have died out of about 100,000. Thats less than 1%, and i feel like that is pretty good. The author makes it clear that the war was a waste of time and that its a lost cause. In the beginning of the war it seemed to have a good point, but now there isnt a point in it.
President Obama sent 30,000 extra troops over to Afghanistan last year. He stated he would withdraw them in 2011, however, the date has now been moved to 2014. This decision has lost his support from both the Republicans and the Democrats. The Democrats do not approve of the extended date, and the Republicans do not like the view of no deadline as well as the troops staying in war until accomplishment has been reached. Many Americans began by being pleased with the war, now many are just confused on why such a “pointless” war is taking so long. Obama’s desire of the war is to create Afghanistan stable; therefore it cannot be used as a base for terrorism against the United States. American citizens have sided with one of two sides. Four out of ten Americans say that they would rather the troops be withdrawn from war sooner than 2014. The other four out of ten Americans say that the United States need to be prepared to keep combat forces there as long as it takes. Whenever a tragic event happens, Americans automatically become alert and believe combat is necessary. Whenever the society is calm, citizens believe combat is a mistake. For example, right after the attack on 9/11.
ReplyDeleteSoldiers have to keep a close watch for improvised explosive devices at all times. They must choose a careful path, usually going through fields, as well as make relationships with the civilians. The civilians help find and disarm these harmful devices. The IEDs are mainly constructed by the Taliban’s; however, farmers, and teenagers have set IEDs because of being commanded by the Taliban’s. Many civilians are happy to help and tell Americans troops whether or not the Taliban have passed. While others say “The Taliban will kill me if I respond to that question.”
“Our nation's longest war is quickly becoming our nation's most pointless war.” We went into this war in 2001, reason being, “revenge” due to the 9/11 attack. Our mission has changed drastically; we now are looking to stabilize Afghanistan. The nine year war is costing by far too much and is starting to worry Americans. It seems as if it is just wasting A LOT of lives and money. It is also affecting the government’s position on dealing with the debt occurring back at home. The war no longer has a meaning and it's as if each President that comes into office is going to create their own goal for the war and it will be a never ending process. There are many questions Americans ask their selves everyday. Is it worth all the lives were losing everyday? Who will maintain the Afghanistan government if we do get a victory? What is going on right now? What is still on the agenda to accomplish? What has been accomplished? And most importantly, when will this all come to an end?
There is no real answer to if we should still be fighting the war in Afghanistan. The opinion of the war can literally change from person to person and the country is extremely divided on the issue. This disagreement is probably the reason why there has not been much policy created in regards to the war. The war can also be looked as in a few different aspects. It can be looked at economically, by the death toll, or by the results. The articles cover all of these aspects and indeed have differing viewpoints.
ReplyDeleteIn Afghanistan, there are things called improvised explosive devices, IEDs. The Taliban sets them up, or they have others in the villages set them up. When platoons walk through the villages, the IEDs can blow up, injuring and possibly killing them. It is hard to tell who sets the IEDs. In the article, Hoping to avoid bombs and win Afghan minds, it is mentioned that farmers, teenagers, and construction workers have set IEDs. The platoons patrol the villages searching for these devices and often find some that are not fully set up. IEDs are often assembled the wrong way, which causes them not to go off when they are supposed to go off. Captain Reed says that the troops are catching IEDs before they are made. This means that they are getting closer and making progress.
“Our nation's longest war is quickly becoming our nation's most pointless war.” In 2001, the United States went into Afghanistan with a clear, laid out mission. This mission was to simply punish those responsible for 9/11. Now, the mission is to stabilize Afghanistan. This mission seems very time-consuming, if not impossible. It is hard to believe that the Afghanistan government will uphold whatever peace American troops set up. The war in Afghanistan is looking like an open-ended war; there is no definite end in sight. Protecting the United States from terrorism is very important, but how much longer do American troops have to die for a war that no longer has meaning?
President Obama sent 30,000 extra troops over to Afghanistan last year. He stated he would withdraw them in 2011, however, the date has now been moved to 2014. This decision has lost his support from both the Republicans and the Democrats. The Democrats do not approve of the extended date, and the Republicans do not like the view of no deadline as well as the troops staying in war until accomplishment has been reached. Many Americans began by being pleased with the war, now many are just confused on why such a “pointless” war is taking so long. Obama’s desire of the war is to create Afghanistan stable; therefore it cannot be used as a base for terrorism against the United States. American citizens have sided with one of two sides. Four out of ten Americans say that they would rather the troops be withdrawn from war sooner than 2014. The other four out of ten Americans say that the United States need to be prepared to keep combat forces there as long as it takes. Whenever a tragic event happens, Americans automatically become alert and believe combat is necessary. Whenever the society is calm, citizens believe combat is a mistake. For example, right after the attack on 9/11.
ReplyDeleteSoldiers have to keep a close watch for improvised explosive devices at all times. They must choose a careful path, usually going through fields, as well as make relationships with the civilians. The civilians help find and disarm these harmful devices. The IEDs are mainly constructed by the Taliban’s; however, farmers, and teenagers have set IEDs because of being commanded by the Taliban’s. Many civilians are happy to help and tell Americans troops whether or not the Taliban have passed. While others say “The Taliban will kill me if I respond to that question.”
“Our nation's longest war is quickly becoming our nation's most pointless war.” We went into this war in 2001, reason being, “revenge” due to the 9/11 attack. Our mission has changed drastically; we now are looking to stabilize Afghanistan. The nine year war is costing by far too much and is starting to worry Americans. It seems as if it is just wasting A LOT of lives and money. It is also affecting the government’s position on dealing with the debt occurring back at home. The war no longer has a meaning and seems as if each President who comes into office will create their own goal for the war and it will be a never ending process. There are many questions Americans ask their selves everyday. Is it worth all the lives were losing everyday? Who will maintain the Afghanistan government if we do get a victory? What is going on right now? What is still on the agenda to accomplish? What has been accomplished? And most importantly, when will this all come to an end?
The war in Afghan. Well first off Obama will be sending in an additional 30,000 troops to Afghan before the time tables for withdrawal is set. Troops will be expected to start to pull out in 2014, but that’s just a idea, who knows what will change. But people are worried about if this war will be worth the cost. Is this war worth the money spent, and worth the lives of our lost soldiers.
ReplyDeleteThe public is much divided on the war issue. At the beginning in war majority of the people was for it now the numbers are even. People have been told about how troops will be brought home but it tends to show that date is always getting pushed back, this is already our nations longest war. The vision of victory is bleak. Our troops have to worry about staying alive then completing their mission. Our troops have no idea on who to trust which just puts them at even greater risk. We are dealing with an unknown enemy at times. The very people they are protecting are wiring up the bombs.
People are no longer for our troops, they would rather see money go to schools or other matters (who wouldn’t?). But after reading these articles it seems that our current state is a bad one. Our people are against a war that we are fighting in, and we are not making much progress in the war (based on these articles). We need to either listen to the people and pull out or come up with a stronger strategy. This is a very tough obstacle for America. I honestly don’t think we should pull out, Afghan is just not ready to hold its own, but then again I’m not the president or in the house or senate so I guess we’ll see what happens.
In the article, “Obama’s isolation grows on the Afghanistan war” there are graphs that show how deaths have gone up over the last ten years. In 2001 there were six U.S. military deaths and in 2010 there have already been 455 U.S. military deaths. Also today 39% of people are saying it was a mistake to send military forces to Afghanistan. A year ago Obama said that U.S. troops will begin getting withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2011; now, they are focusing on pulling the troops out in 2014. Just one in five Americans agree with the 2014 timetable, one of Obama’s lowest levels of support on any policy position. Obama’s goal is for there to be a stable Afghanistan that can’t be used as a base for terrorism against the USA. The public is divided on this issue. About four in ten Americans say the troops should be withdrawn sooner than Obama proposes. Another four in ten say the U.S. should be prepared to keep combat forces there as long as it takes. Our country is literally divided. Some people are asking questions such as: is the war really worth the cost? Some believe it would be better to use war funding to build schools, roads and bridges at home. Americans worry that the war’s costs will make it more difficult for the government to address domestic problems. Also there are more congressional democrats in revolt. Last year when the house considered war funding, 32 Democrats voted no. This year that number has increased to 102. Although many people don’t support Obama on this issue, he does have some support in unexpected places.
ReplyDeleteIn the second article from the New York Times it talks about how careful soldiers have to be when they take their routes while maneuvering through Afghanistan. They can never be sure who is with the Taliban. In some areas soldiers have found so many booby traps that they have had to destroy homes instead of taking the risk of searching for bombs. Part of the 30,000 extra American troops deployed this year will stay in southern Afghanistan and try to make sure that the Taliban do not return. After 10 weeks soldiers have found roughly 1000 pounds of explosives. It took just a few weeks in August to clear the main Taliban forces from the Arghandab District, and insurgent attacks dropped dramatically. But as has often been the case in this war, it is easier to drive out the Taliban than to keep them out.
In the third article Tony Blankley says that “this particular war is being fought without sufficient resources, without a strategy than can remotely succeed and most unfortunately, with at least one eye on our domestic politics, rather than both eyes on victory”. The strategic exit strategy of the United States is in the hope that the Afghan government and the Afghan army will take over the leadership in either 2011 or 2014; but, that is just not going to happen. This is the nation’s longest war and it shows no sign of ever ending. The article states that the war will end when some president decides he has had enough and totally pulls out all help or when a future president decides to fight and actually win the war. Every month we will continue to lose between 50 and 150 troops. This war is soon becoming our nation’s most “pointless war”. Forty-four percent of the public supports the U.S. role in the war and fifty percent are against it. So what will the future hold for the war in Afghanistan? Only time will tell because we are a nation divided on this issue.
President Obama is facing some of the lowest support levels on any political action with the decision not to pull the troops out of Afghanistan on the scheduled date. Obama has reset the date of withdraw from 2011 to 2014. This is creating a sense of disappointment in the Democratic party, Democrats feel as if the troops need to be pulled out sooner than the president proposes. On the other hand,Republicans disagree with the withdraw calendar in general, with the newly elected control of the House, Republicans want to keep troops in Afghanistan “as long as it takes.” Many Americans feel the military operation was a mistake and the $320 million a day taxpayers pay in war funds could be spent on roads, or to build better schools. The increasing number of casualties has also been a concern, the number is drastically climbing and many feel the deaths were unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteSome of the 30,000 troops sent to Afghanistan by President Obama are in search of bombs and booby traps set by the Taliban. Soldiers have had to learn to never take the same path twice in precaution of traps sometimes set by civilians. The Taliban is presumed to pay farmers and teenagers to set traps in their fields and roads, the civilians don't want to hurt the Americans, they like the protection they bring, but they fear their own government.
Tony Blankly believes the war in Afghanistan is being fought without sufficient resources, strategy, and both eyes on victory. The troops that are being sent over can only occupy the most popular areas. The idea of pulling troops out and the Afghan government maintaining the success American troops have brought is unthinkable. Instead of all the attention being on the war and pulling troops out, our government is focused on domestic politics as well. The war in Afghanistan is the longest war to date, until a president decides enough is enough, troops will be losing their lives, money will be spent and nothing will happen. 62% of Democrats believe we are not doing the right thing being over seas and need to bring our troops home. This war has gone on to long and is becoming pointless.
The first article is mainly about the public's view on the current war. It also mentions that if military and political situations fail to improve in Afghanistan, Obama could face a revolt in his own party as well as unrelenting fire from the GOP. According to a Gallup poll conducted by USA Today, one in five Americans agree with Obama's 2014 timetable (meaning all troops will be pulled out of Iraq by 2014). One in ten Americans, including Democrats, say the troops should be pulled out sooner than 2014 while another four in ten say that America should prepare for the troops to stay there as long as needed. At the time of the 9/11 attacks, nine in ten Americans supported the combat mission, now four in ten say it was a mistake. Being that it is America's longest war, the death count has recently amount to 1,320 American soldiers. This is costing taxpayers more than $320,000,000.00 a day. There are people who oppose the war effort and that is what most of article one is discussing.
ReplyDeleteThe second article discusses how the troops are having to clear Afghanistan on landmines and other booby traps. Sometimes they encounter so many that they have to destroy the whole village in order to make it safe for troops and civilians. The 30,000 troops that were deployed last year will stay in the Arghandab District and patrol the village to make sure the Taliban don't come back. Since arriving the troops have found 1,000 lbs of explosives. It also mentions that the villagers are being as helpful as possible because the ones who are effected by the Taliban want revenge.
The third article mentions Obama's plan to start bringing the troops home in July of 2011, which was presumably said to keep liberals calm. The author says that many statements are said to keep different political groups "calm" and then mentions that no rational observer can remain calm while watching our young brave troops risking and giving their lives in Afghanistan. All three articles mention that the "War in Afghanistan" is theoretical war but this particular one is the only one that isn't doubting that we can "win." What I got from the third article is that it is mostly opinions and a sort of factual rant.
I don’t think that this is any good answer to the War on Terror that has been going on for ten years in Afghanistan. Nothing seems to be going on in Afghanistan lately. It seems that every person has a different opinion on the war and the country is divided on the issue. When we first went into Afghanistan a lot of people supported the war to attack the people that had attacked the United States. As the war progresses the support has been going down because there is no reason for them to be over there anymore. The support is also going down because it is costing the United States a lot of money and the Casualty rates are increasing.
ReplyDeleteThe first article from USA Today, “Obama’s isolation grows on the Afghan war
”,has to deal a lot with what people think about the war and the economic issues of the war. There was 30,000 troops sent in a year ago, and were to be pulled out by July 2011, but are now said to be pulled out by 2014. The two parties having different views could lead to no policies getting passed. The percentage of people that say going into the war was a mistake have been growing and is now around 39%. Americans all agree that the war needs to be ended but they are divided of when it should. The deaths of the military have went from six to four hundred and fifty-five in ten years. The majority of the people think that the cost of the war will make it difficult for the government to address problems facing Americans. Americans have changed their minds about the war and they are ready for a new plan.
In the second article from N.Y. Times, “Hoping to Avoid Bombs and Win Afghan Minds”, the war in viewed in a more positive way then the other one. It talks about what goes on in Afghanistan in details. Soldiers can not do the same thing day after day because there are bombs placed in walk ways that they have to watch for. The locals are the people that set the bombs up for money and they don’t tell anyone because of the fear of death from the Taliban. The Taliban wants the U.S. out of Afghanistan and the U.S. just keeps sending more and more troops in. The more local make the job easier and is part of their success and can help find and disarm explosive devices. Even though they have the support of the locals, soldiers are still being killed, but it is working towards a safer Afghanistan.
The last article from Real Clear Politics, “Troop Shouldn’t Be Nation building”, goes back to what the first article was talking about. They think that the war was a lost cause because many American soldiers have lost their lives. The U.S. is sending soldiers to their death for something that many think are not worthwhile knowingly, and they should not do that. The U.S. first objective was to end the war early and then they changed it.
The Author believes that the war will continue to go on till the government runs out of resources or get tired of fighting the war. He also say’s that we should have never entered the war to begin with. He thinks this because Afghanistan will not be able to gain order throughout the country because of the Taliban and we are no longer in the war for the same reason that we entered.
President Obama delivered a speech in West Point, New York, in December 2009. The speech was to address the issue of the war in Afghanistan. At the time of the speech, the president announced a deployment of 30,000 U.S. service members, as well as setting the timeframe for pulling U.S. forces out in July, 2011. This was a solution that not only reassured those who saw the conflict as critical to U.S. security, but it also reassured those whom were uneasy with an open-ended military conflict. Now, one year later, the administration is not focusing on July 2011, but the year 2014, conditions permitting. Only approximately one in five Americans agree with the 2014 timetable. “I question the value of us being there at all,”- Ed Rendell, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Directly following the 9/11 attacks, approximately 9 out of 10 Americans supported the Afghanistan operation. Today, only roughly 4 out of 10 still do. Furthermore, according to Election Day polls, only 5% of voters said the war in Afghanistan was the most important issue in determining whom they voted for.
ReplyDeleteThe article titled, “Hoping to Avoid Bombs and Win Afghan Minds”, had a different point of view than the author of the first article. The author of the second article showed support in his writing, admiring the work of the U.S. service members. This work includes scaling walls to avoid going through gateways, cutting through cornfields instead of taking paths, and finding and disabling booby traps. After arriving more than ten weeks ago, the soldiers have found roughly 1,000 pounds of explosives, an “obscene” amount. With the big influx (30,000) American troops, it took just a few weeks to clear the main Taliban forces from the Arghandab District, but it is easier to drive out the Taliban than to keep them out. In their own way, some villagers do help the American forces out. For example, soldiers in Deh-e Kuchay found a kite string detonation cord hooked up to a bomb that had been sliced through in three places, sabotaged by a farmer’s spade.
The article fromRealClearPolitics.com shows an opinion that the war in Afghanistan is a lost cause and is no longer necessary. The 2014 date for pulling service members out of Afghanistan, the author says, is merely “aspirational”, with the purpose being to keep both pro-war Republicans and the Pentagon calm. It is in the opinion of the author that the war is being fought without sufficient resources, an inept strategy, and the focus is not entirely on victory. “We will never turn Afghanistan into anything capable of exercising close authority over all its land.” A recent poll shows that support for the U.S. role in Afghanistan is, for the first time, negative.
What do these three articles suggest? They suggest that while there are many different opinions and plans for what should be done concerning Afghanistan, the majority of the U.S. citizens now believe the war is pointless, and U.S. troops should be pulled out. There are several questions involving the conflict. Supposing the U.S. did set up a stable government in Afghanistan, who would maintain it? For what reason are American troops losing their lives? Is the reason easily justified? The answers to these pounding questions do not come easily, and many American citizens are getting tired of waiting for them.
How necessary is it for us to still be fighting in Afghanistan? 39% of Americans say is was a mistake to send troops to Afghanistan in the first place. Obama, one year ago, sent 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan, and he also made a deadline, June 2011. He recently went back on his word changing the deadline to 2014 for the troops to withdrawal. This clearly made most of society uneasy, with only one in five Americans supporting the new deadline. Democrats are even revolting against our President. This deadline move could potentially hurt Obama in the 2012 re-election race. The war is costing lots of money, along with many lives. Obama does have a few supporters on this topic, but it may not be enough with the new statistics.
ReplyDeleteOur soldiers are also put to the extremely dangerous challenge of bringing security to other countries. The soldiers must switch up their routine, otherwise they are set up for doom. Booby traps are directed towards them, and they cannot slip up. They have no contact with anyone, for who is in the Taliban is unknown. They are forced to destroy villages and homes simply because a few strands of land are so dangerous. Many traps include I.E.D’s and the troops are trying to find whom is responsible. The locals are fearful to the Taliban and respect American soldiers. They too are looking for suspects and dangers, because they are at as much or higher risk than the soldiers.
The Afghanistan War policy is causing mass confusion. How did 2011 become 2014? Conservative’s were expected to side with this, but most do not. 44% of Americans support the war. Devastating numbers of deaths are rising, and more troops are being sent. Maybe we could win the war, but is this the time and the place? The strategy of this war is slowly failing, and many agree we should pull out. The midterm elections and the announcement of the moving back of the deadline showed we are no where near an end to this war. What else can be done some ask.
In “Obama's isolation grows on the Afghanistan war” it seems that more people now are saying in polls that we should withdraw from Afghanistan than in past years since 9/11. President Obama has changed his timeline for 2014 instead of July 2011. With the 2010 midterms and other elections this topics has been almost hidden away, while other ones like unemployment and the economy take up most of the concern, but now that causality rates have increased this is being brought into light. Half of democrats are saying going into Afghanistan was a mistake, as do 4 out 10 citizens. This is now creating some gridlock because some others want to stay in Afghanistan as long as necessary to create a stable U.S. base against terrorism.
ReplyDeleteIn “Hoping to Avoid Bombs and Win Afghan Minds” the soldiers overseas are finding more and more I.E.D.’s (improvised explosive devices) every day. Lt. Tyson Walsh called it an “obscene amount” (over 1,000 pounds in about 10 weeks). This bombs lack expertise, and locals are being suspected of constructing these bombs out of fear of the Taliban group in the area. It does take long to make them, and troops get the since that they are facing the “b team.” Some boys were spotted digging a hole, and another construction worker had residue all over his hands. Money and fear are the two main reasons but, not all locals are to blame; some even help by leading troops to known bombs fields for defusing.
In “Troops Shouldn't Be Nation Building” the author is greatly against being in Afghanistan, saying that our nation’s longest war has become its most pointless. An increase in causality rates, and Obama switching from his deadline of July 2011 to tide liberals over to 2014 to satisfy republicans has people confused when troops are actually going to pull out. The government is running low on support and even resources, and polls say that citizens are starting to think that our initial interests were good, but now this feels like it is never going to end. It is a slow process, the president can’t satisfy everybody, and Afghan war ratings are negative.
After analyzing these articles I would say that the current state of the war is slow and bleak. I hope for a preset date that our government will actually stick to. If we had that it, would most likely make us more on task and less likely to try and satisfy citizens and politicians because they aren’t the ones fighting the war. I hate to compare war to a game, but we need a better game plan. If we stay as long as necessary it will put a drain on our finances and other resources. I know 2014 is the new deadline, but I fear the government will just change it again, and also is too far away.
President Obama has recently lost support, from both republicans and democrats, on the War on Terror. Obama recently has extended from July 2011 to sometime in 2014, even though we seem to be at a stalemate. Nothing is especially being accomplished except for the loss of money and lives. All of this is expected to cause Obama to have less support in 2012 if/when he runs for re-election.
ReplyDeleteMany people are confused as to why we are still fighting this war. If we succeed in the original task, to defeat the Taliban which we did, then why are we still fighting. Some have the opinion that this is no longer our war to fight, that we will never be able to make peace within a country that will not cooperate. Afghans are too afraid of the Taliban to work with us to try to help establish a better government for them.
However, our biggest problem at the moment is roadside bombs. Average citizens are being paid to set them up. The number of casualties has been increasing over the last ten years as well.
This war is being fought with ‘insufficient resources’ and no clear goal, and there will never be progress as long as those problems exist. There seems to be no end coming to this war, which is now the longest that we have ever fought. Most people agree that we need to end it and stop the pointlessness.
After reading these articles I realize that the war in Afghanistan is being disputed more and more these days. Around 39% of the population is against sending troops now and for a very good reason. 25 % of the people agree that he is doing what needs to be done by extending the deadline for troops coming home. 40% of the people believe that the troops need to be home sooner than the 2014 deadline that President Obama has established but another 40% says that the troops need to be there until their job is done. Also, just like President Obama`s approval rating, the approval of the Afghan war has dropped a clear 50%. There is still a great ignorance to the war because 45% of the population still thinks that the war is going ever so smoothly while 55% know what is happening.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama is obviously not a tactician his plan is to send troops to scout for landmines. This is not a great idea because the approval of the people is already low so let us go and send you kids and make them search for mines in the ground. Troops, according to Corporal Lemons, are being sent to assimilate with Afghan civilians and possibly get to know who the leaders are in Al Qaeda.
The troops may never get home at this rate the date to come home was next year and now they are being told that they have 4 years to go. This is very telling about what the government thinks of troops. They use them as a tool to possibly be re-elected or to appease the masses. This war could be over today they could be home by a few weeks but we have to find those landmines. We have a rising deficit and it needs to slow down what better way than ending a wasteful, pointless war. The Afghan war needs to end we won now stop losing soldiers lives for pride, oil, or being re-elected just bring them home.
The War on Terror is not going as planned. The U.S military has succeeded in removing the Taliban from power but it is proving difficult to keep them out. The Taliban are recruiting villagers to make Improvised Explosive Devices also known as I.E.D‘s. The military is sending in troops to check for these devices and to try and root out the Taliban leaders. The villagers are fearful of Taliban retribution, and will not tell soldiers who the leaders are but they do sabotage bombs from time to time.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama is facing hostility from both parties as he tries to handle the war. The Democrats are upset because Mr. Obama has had to move the date of military withdrawal from Afghanistan to 2014 instead of 2011 as promised. The Republicans are mad because military is going to withdraw and the War is not over yet. The Republicans will not rest until the Taliban is removed completely and Osama is caught.
Our troops in Afghanistan have planned to surrender in 2011, but it is delayed until 2014. It is not worth losing about 100 soldiers every month considering that Obama placed 30,000 troops to fight in a war that cannot be won. However, a majority of 40 percent believes that troops should stay in Afghanistan until our U.S. objective is achieved. According to USA Today, the amount of people that opposes the war is going to increase because the president and his predecessor keep putting off the date. The opposition will increase while the support for U.S. involvement in Afghanistan is decreasing. This cause results in the many increasing deaths of our soldiers in fighting an "un-winnable" and pointless war.
ReplyDeleteNew York Times said that our soldiers have to climb over ten-foot walls and cut through cornfields and pomegranate orchards in hope of not encountering traps. They can never know who is setting the traps; in some cases, it could be teenagers doing it for the money. The Taliban set about 1,000 pounds out and unknowingly, a photographer stepped on a mine and was severely wounded.
This war is being fought without enough resources, without a strategy, and with one eye on our plans rather than both on victory. Statics shows that since 2001, the U.S. military death has increased from six to 455. Real Clear Politics states that until we get enough resources, a strong strategy, and a president who decides he has enough power, then we will be ready to fight a war. Strategy calls for us to deny sanctuary to the enemy such that al-Qaida could not get back in the country safely.
There is debate among the people in how long we have been in war with Afghanistan. Because of this statics shows that four in every ten Americans want troops out of the war sooner than expected. However, “another four in ten, including 61% of Republicans, say the U.S. should be prepared to keep combat forces there as long as it takes. The survey of 1,037 adults has a margin of error of +/–4 percentage points.” Now, four in every ten people say that this operation was a mistake.
“As of Monday, 1,320 American service members had died in the war, which this year is costing taxpayers more than $320 million a day.” They argue that war funding would be better used to build schools, roads and bridges at home. This would be an issue that could build up as policymakers struggle to limit the nation's $1.4 trillion budget deficit. Last year, thirty two Democrats said no to war funding. This year, the number increased to 102. Democrats now hold 255 of the House's 435 seats, but that number is likely to fall to 193.
Although the percentage saying that it was a mistake to send military forces to Afghanistan is increasing, USA Today says that there is one who still supports the war. Howard Dean said that the president is doing the best he can to bring about stability. We need to give the president our support while our odds are long. In opposition of this, most people can argue that President Obama has made this his war.
More and more people are feeling upset with the war and Obama. A reason being that he has pushed back the date of returning the troops home from 2011 to 2014. Many people feel this is Obama's war. It has been America's most pointless and longest war. Democrats are unhappy with Obama and this delay. Republicans are upset because they don't want troops pulled out until the war is over.
ReplyDeleteThe war is very dangerous for our troops. 100 to 150 die per month. A big reason for this are booby traps. Mines are being set by terrorists in trails in Afghanistan. Now also by landowners probably because of the pay. Hopefully the war ends soon because its suppport is decreasing as people are beconing aggravated.
President Obama has changed the exit date for troops in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2014. The first date was supposedly set to keep Liberals calm, but now it is to keep the Republicans calm. These changes have surely made Amerians feel worried. In fact 39% of Americans feel that is was a mistake to even send troops to Afghanistan. Obama's change in dates has made more Americans feel negatively about him. Also, Democrats and Republicans both have differing ideas about what we should do in Afghanistan. Democrats want to pull the troops out but Republicans want to finish the task we were sent there to do. The artical explained that many Americans think that this is a senseless war. Soldiers that are stationed in Afghanistan right now are searching fields daily for bombs and IED's. American people are wondering why we are still in Afghanistan and why not much is happening. We are running out of money and supplies to fund this lond and pointless war. Many people think it is time for it to come to an end, but they also want us to finish the job we were sent there to do. Troops were sent to Afghanistan to punish the terrorists from 9/11, now we are supposed to be stablizing Afghanistan. It doesn't seem like an easy or quick task. Government needs to figure out what the next move should be and stop putting it off for others to try and take care of it.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though things are getting worse for President Obama. The President has recently changed the return date of the troops from 2011 to 2014. This decision hasn't gained much support from people in the political world, as well as the family members of the soldiers that were to return home soon. Thirty-nine percent of Americans feel that is was a mistake to even send troops to Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteDemocrats and Republicans have differing ideas about what should be done in Afghanistan. Democrats want to send the troops home while Republicans want the troops to stay in Afghanistan and finish what they were sent there to do. Polls show that Americans think the war in Afghanistan is senseless. It seems as though the war is at a stalemate. Not much is being done; soldiers spend most of their time searching fields for bombs. Resources and funds are starting to run out for this "pointless war".
Although many people believe the war is pointless and there is no sense in putting our soldiers' lives at risk every day for nothing, many believe that the soldiers must remember why they are there in the first place. The troops were sent to Afghanistan because of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Others believe that we must get them back for what they did. President Obama is in a thick hole and he must get on America's good side if he wants to be reelected.