Main Points of Four Afghanistan Resolution Summaries

Position 1: Send more U.S. and NATO troops to Afghanistan for a counterinsurgency strategy (David Kilcullen)

Thesis: The U.S. should send more troops to Afghanistan because the Taliban effort is growing, and with more troops, the U.S. objectives can be completed faster and more efficiently so that the U.S. can withdraw sooner.

1) There are too few troops to stop the Taliban's expansion that occurred when the U.S. shifted their attention to Iraq, and Kilcullen feels that the U.S. should put more troops in to prevent even more of Afghanistan from going under Taliban control.

2) Kilcullen's position also focuses on protecting the Afghan civilians from Taliban violence and intimidation, as well as strengthening Pakistanis from the Taliban and Al Qaeda members that seek refuge in their country.

3) Finally, the U.S. will work in the Afghan community, helping to train and work alongside the Afghan army and police to increase public safety because Kilcullen thinks the problem in Afghanistan cannot be solved solely by military force.

Position 2: Shift the military effort to Pakistan instead of Afghanistan (Michael A. Cohen and Parag Khanna)

Thesis: Pakistan is a greater threat than Afghanistan and if the U.S. shifted their efforts to defeating the Taliban and Al Qaeda, the war could be ended sooner.

1) Because the U.S. has strong relations with and better intelligence from the Pakistan army, they could more easily learn about the whereabouts of Taliban and Al Qaeda and improve the accuracy of their air/drone attacks and faster complete their goal in Central Asia.

2) The U.S. should strengthen Pakistan's armed forces and government because they need help establishing stability in the country's tribal areas.

3) Finally, the U.S. wants to stop Al Qaeda and the Taliban from crossing the Afghanistan/Pakistan border and switching their hiding spots from these countries. By keeping them in one area, the U.S. can defeat them more easily.

Position 3: Focus on regional negotiations instead of a military solution (Tariq Ali)

Thesis: The U.S. should stop their military efforts towards Afghanistan and allow other countries in the area to protect Afghanistan.

1) The U.S. training of the local police and armed forces has caused these groups to be more voracious towards their enforcement, which has caused the communities to be antagonized by these forces.

2) The drone attacks on Afghanistan are counter productive. These bombings have resulted in the casualties of many Afghan citizens, which has made other citizens resent the U.S. and look to a group such as the Taliban for support and similar ideals.

3) Finally, Ali believes that the problem cannot be solved through military attacks, but rather through political negotiation. He thinks that a "regional pact" should be made amongst countries such as Pakistan, Iran, India, Russia, and possibly China could guarantee and support a functioning government without U.S. involvement.

Position 4; Withdraw U.S. and Nato troops from Afghanistan (George Will)

Thesis: The U.S. objectives will not be met in Afghanistan and therefore they should withdraw all troops.

1) The U.S. military efforts should not be based in Afghanistan, but offshore using drones, missiles, air strikes and intelligence because the real threat is not Afghanistan, but Pakistan.

2) To effectively stop Taliban violence and attacks, there would need to be hundreds of thousands of troops; a pricy and sacrificial endeavor. The Taliban can also go into hiding, and emerge to recruit even more people to increase their support. This is why Will believes the troops should leave- he feels staying in Afghanistan has not made any progress.

3) Finally, Will thinks that job programs and local government services should be set up because it would distract people from the Taliban and make it so civilians to not want to support the Taliban anymore.

Part 1B: Obama's Strategy for Afghanistan

1) Yesterday, 12/1/10, Barack Obama announced his strategy for Afghanistan in the upcoming years. Obama said that he would send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan in the coming months, and promised to begin bringing troops back in the middle of the year 2011. However, this withdrawal could be fairly limited depending on the situation in Afghanistan, and Obama would have to somewhat play it by ear. But, by providing a timeline, Obama wants to disengage militarily rapidly to stop the senseless fighting and attacks. Obama's four main objectives are to 1) reverse the Taliban damage and gains in Afghanistan 2) protect the Afghan civilians from danger and the effects of war 3) put more pressure on the Afghan government to create a non-corrupt democratic system and to build up their military forces and 4) intensify the attacks on Al Qaeda in Pakistan.

Obama said that if he felt the situation in Afghanistan and the relations between Afghanistan and the US were stable, he would not be sending more troops, however Obama definitely finds the Taliban and Al Qaeda to be direct threats to the United States. He thinks the situation in Afghanistan is slowly become worse and needs more troops to effectively stop the situation from declining even further. But Obama also wants Karzai and Afghanistan to make an effort to support the U.S. and to also identify and work to solve problems within Afghanistan.

Obama did not address how he will pay for this new strategy, which will cost $30 billion in the first year. Support from politicians varied from "noncommittal to outright opposition" and surprisingly, Obama is receiving quite a bit of Republican support, however Obama's strategy stems from lessons learned during Bush's change in strategy in 2007. Overall, Obama created a strategy based off of what he thought would result in the best and safest outcome for both Afghanistan and the U.S.

2) For the most part, I agree with Obama's new strategy. I believe that Obama should keep in mind what will be best for Afghanistan citizens for two reasons. First, I think simply mindlessly bombing areas in Afghanistan would lead to unnecessary causalities and inhumane treatment of other people. The second reason is the amount of impressionable young children in Afghanistan. As I have learned from the Frontline videos we have watched this week, many of the attacks on Afghanistan by the "drone" planes have caused young children to harbor feelings of resentment and hatred towards the United States. By ensuring Afghans safety, the U.S. could potentially cut down on the number of people who support and would reconvene the Taliban. Although I would most like the troops to be completely taken out of Afghanistan, I understand that this would put the U.S. in a dangerous position, but I find it wise for Obama to put a date on when withdrawal to occur. By having a published date, the war will not be endless, and the troops will eventually all come home. However, I do recognize that all the troops will not be instantly transported home come 2011, but I very strongly agree with Obama's choice to put a specific year on when the return home for the troops will begin. One aspect I do not understand or agree with in Obama's plan is the fact that he did not address the details of how this strategy will be funded. Of course, Obama surely has an idea of how this will occur, but I think he should have released it with his plan. Overall, I agree with the four main objectives of Obama's plan and although it is undesirable, after learning more background and information on Afghanistan and the War on Terror, I believe that it is best to stay in the area for the time being.

Part Two: Children of the Taliban

1) Children join the Taliban for a few reasons. One of which is the way the Taliban expose young boys to propaganda. The Taliban establish Madrassas, religious schools that do not teach traditional subjects such as Math, English, and History, but only teach verses of the Koran or the ways of the Taliban. By preaching to the children in school, the Taliban is able to instill values in these impressionable young children so that they believe exactly what the Taliban believes. This method creates a large support system of children who will eventually for the Taliban. Because the schools also provide food and shelter for the children who live there, these children are inclined to help the Taliban and eventually work for them. As very young children, boys are also merely interested in the weapons the Taliban use. As described by one member of the Taliban, sometimes boys will approach the Taliban and simply ask to see or carry their weapons for them. Also, the Pakistan and US forces attack some places in Afghanistan that result in the death of the friends or family of some of these children. These children then believe that the US/Pakistan forces are the source of all evil, and want to join the Talib effort to destroy these people.

2) The war in Pakistan has greatly impacted children, leaving a forever lasting impression. One obvious way that the war affects children is how a child's family can be killed, sometimes leaving them without parents to fend for themselves. Sometimes, family's who have been affected by attacks (such as those who have lost other family members or who have been permanently injured or disfigured from the way) are forced from their homes and to move to rehabilitation camps. Young girls are also not allowed to attend school or university and must also wear burkas. Regardless of that fact that girls may not attends school, the Taliban destory many schools and children attend Madrassas instead. The presence and violence of the Taliban is especially frightening to some young children, who stay home when the Taliban are said to be in these children's villages.

3) The attacks are effective because of how brutal they are. Although, not all of these effects are positive. The drones that bombed parts of Afghanistan destroyed the homes of over 30,000 people (half of whom are children), creating 30,000 refugees. These bombs also destroy many schools and Madrassas. After a strike as brutal as the one in the particular village in Afghanistan, the Taliban will often recruit young children and adults because they use this bombing as an example of US violence. These bombs kill many members of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, and the leader of the Pakistan army admits that the civilian causalities are unfortunate, but feels that their strategy is working overall. He says that the boys whose villages have been destroyed and who want to join the Taliban are most likely part of the problem. Here, I almost get the sense that he implied that he would like to see these boys dead along with the Taliban.

4) The Taliban continues to grow because of the growing interest in children to join the Taliban and commit jobs for them, sometimes even suicidal. When the US/Pakistan forces kill members of the Taliban, this merely angers their supporters, (including children) and causes these supporters to want to carry out the work and ideals of the Taliban. Often times, the Taliban will go into hiding and will emerge when the US forces think they have found all members of the Taliban.