US Military's Continued Stay in the Post Osama Bin Laden Afghanistan - Case Study Example

Us Military’s Continued Stay in the Post Osama Bin Laden Afghanistan Paper Outline Introduction -This will give a brief overview of the operations of the US military since the death of Osama bin Laden in May, 2011 with a view to highlighting the different opposing views on whether to stay or not to stay in Afghanistan Discussion -The discussion will form the main body of the paper and will discuss the existing security threats facing Afghanistan and the world since the death of Osama and America’s new policy goals on Afghanistan and war on global terror. Conclusion -The will sum up both sides to the debate and present my personal take on the issue of US military continuing to stay in Afghanistan in post Osama era. Abstract of Sources -This will be written in short concise paragraphs analyzing each of the four sources used in this research and discussing the strength of argument of the various standpoints presented in the texts. Introduction The killing of Osama bin Laden while sending a clear message about the seriousness of the resolve of the United States concerning terror, nevertheless brings up questions of a post Osama Afghanistan and the role of the US Military in the country. Proponents and opponents of the US continued stay have come up with different perspectives concerning the US and its continued role in Afghanistan. The delayed withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan is hinged upon three elements; the reason for the involvement of the US in the first place; the effect of Osama’s death on organized terror groups; and lastly the issue of stability and capability of the current Afghanistan regime to prevent the country from sliding back into the hands of the Taliban (D’souza, 2011). Discussion One of the most fundamental aspects of the war is the involvement of the United States in Afghanistan in the first place. The major purpose for the invasion of Afghanistan was to dismantle the Taliban government hence denying the Al Qaeda a base for launching attacks on US targets (D’souza, 2011). The question then is whether this objective has been accomplished. The accomplishment of this has necessitated the overthrow of the Taliban and the setting up of democratic systems. Opinions are divided on whether this has been successful or not in taming Al Qaeda. According to Singh (2011), the US has been unsuccessful in dismantling the organization of Al Qaeda even after overthrowing the Taliban government. Hillary Clinton has argued that while the Taliban has been kicked out of power it still remains a viable force which could rise in case of a withdrawal. The feeling on the ground in Afghanistan though is that the US has been successful in removing the terror threat from Afghanistan and hence it needs to leave. The facts o the ground however points to the reality that Al Qaeda still remains vibrant in pockets of Afghanistan and in Pakistan (Rolins, 2011). It is therefore be an error for the US to leave Afghanistan as the Taliban pose a very real threat of reestablishing themselves in Afghanistan should there be a US withdrawal. The effect of the departure of Osama on terror groups is also another fundamental aspect. While the killing of Bin Laden is definitely a blow to global terror networks and particularly the Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda may not be finished with his death. Even as Osama offered a lot of inspiration and was the symbolic and iconic leader of the network, Al Qaeda consisted of localized chapters which were not directly controlled by Bin Laden. Previous killings of Al Qaeda commanders such as Abu Musab al Zarqawi and Khalid Sheikh have also proved that the network is able to continue with their operations even after these losses (Singh, 2011). Bergen a political analyst observes that Al Qaeda members usually pledged allegiance to bin Laden and as such his death is a big blow to the organization since its cohesiveness is significantly eroded. Bergen however asserts that while Bin Laden was an iconic figure for Al Qaeda, there are other people such as Al Zawahiri who will step in to take up the mantle of leadership just as it happened in previous killings of senior Al Qaeda leaders. The last elemental issue is the stability and capability of the Karzai government to keep the Taliban and Al Qaeda at bay. While the Karzai government is presented as a democratically elected government and a legitimate representative of the people of Afghanistan, there are elements within the Afghanistani population especially the fundamentalists and extremists that do not believe the government has political and moral legitimacy (Mehdi, 2011). The US must acknowledge that to finish the war in Afghanistan entails an installation of a government perceived to be morally and politically legitimate. As it stands the government of the day does not seem to have a clear cut advantage in containing the Taliban. The reality on the ground is that a stable Afghanistan would require the inclusion of the Taliban into the government. The acknowledgement in recent days of the fact that the Taliban may have to be part of the solution in Afghanistan informs the delay in withdrawal. Clinton asserts that an inclusion of Taliban in Afghan politics requires caution since it is undeniable that extremist elements in the Taliban still pose a threat to US interests due to their continued association with Al Qaeda (Mehdi, 2011). Conclusion The delayed withdrawal of US military troops is attributed to variety of factors. The initial reason for the invasion can be arguably said to have been achieved though it is clear that the focus of the war has shifted so as to encompass the fighting of extremist and emerging fundamentalism. This new perspective on the war in Afghanistan therefore calls for stability and inclusion in Afghanistan in order to create stability. While it is recognized that the death of bin Laden is a big blow for terrorism and Al Qaeda it is acknowledged that the war is far from over since the amorphous nature of Al Qaeda makes Afghanistan very vulnerable to infiltration from Pakistani Taliban. The withdrawal of US troops without ensuring that the Karzai government is capable of keeping out the Taliban and ensuring stability would be immature. Abstract of Sources Used D’souza, S. (2011). Post-Osama: Is it the Beginning of the ‘End’ in Afghanistan? Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, Singapore. The Post Osama Afghanistan is analyzed by D’souza from the perspective of its effects on Al Qaeda and the Taliban. She analyses the impact of the killing of Bin Laden on the US and also on the Al Qaeda terror network. The Al Qaeda is analyzed in terms of its structure and its response to previous killings of its leaders. The author makes analysis of Afghan perspectives through his analysis of Karzai’s options in dealing with the Taliban. She also explores American perspectives through Secretary Hillary Clinton as depicted by various authors such as Steve Coll’s Notes on the Death of Osama bin Laden in “The New Yorker” and Ahmed Rashid’s Pakistan and Al Qaeda’s Future in “New York Review of Books”. D’souza argues that the war against Al Qaeda is not won simply by the death of Bin Laden but rather by the dismantling of structures of Al Qaeda and related terror groups. The author believes this has not been effectively accomplished. ISAS Brief (PDF) Discussion Paper Final Paper (ISAS) Citation: D’souza S. (2011). Post-Osama: Is it the Beginning of the ‘End’ in Afghanistan? [Data file]. Retrieved from http://www.isas.nus.edu.sg/Attachments/PublisherAttachment/ISAS_Brief_196-_Post_Osama_09052011183106.pdf Rollins, J. (2011). US Strategy and Security Implications: Osama bin Laden’s Death: Implications and Considerations. York, NY: Diane Publishing. Johnie Rolins makes an analysis of the security implications for a post Osama world with a particular emphasis on Afghanistan. The book makes an analysis of the background of the invasion of Afghanistan which it clearly identifies as the dismantling of the Al Qaeda network. The author makes reference to various reports and the opinions of various experts that assert that withdrawal from Afghanistan would be premature. The author makes an argument for the proposition of the centrality of the war of Afghanistan being centered on the Al Qaeda network. The author also acknowledges the interrelatedness of the Taliban with Al Qaeda. The main thrust of the author’s argument is that while the Al Qaeda was the initial target of the US led invasion the Taliban has become the biggest threat to the US and its allies due to its association with fundamentalists especially the Al Qaeda and hence withdrawal from Afghanistan must only come after the threat of the Taliban has been extinguished. US Strategy and Security Implications Citation. Rollins, J. (2011). Osama bin Laden’s Death: Implications and Considerations. New York, NY: Diane Publishing. Singh, C. (2011). Post-Osama Global Setting: Challenges and Opportunities. Afghanistan News Chandan Singh takes an insightful look at the effect of Osama’s death on terror networks and the international community relations particularly in the Middle East and the Maghreb. Chandan asserts the existence of interrelated interests in the region between India, China and Afghanistan which influence to a great deal US military policy in Afghanistan. The author’s main thrust is that there exist the potential of fundamentalism and extremism being exported to Afghanistan from other countries with a Taliban presence such as Pakistan as there is no stable government in Afghanistan. The author acknowledges that terror as propagated by bin Laden would take time to die as an ideology and hence withdrawal of troops would be immature at the moment. Afghanistan News Citation. Singh, C. (2011). Post-Osama Global Setting: Challenges And Opportunities. Afghanistan News. Retrieved from http://www.afghanistan-news.us/post-osama-global-setting-challenges-and-opportunities/ Mehdi, R. (2011). War against Taliban in Post-Osama Afghanistan.Daily Outlook Afghanistan Mehdi writing in the Daily Outlook Afghanistan analyses a post Osama world with a particular emphasis on Afghanistan and Pakistan. The article asserts the close relationship between the Taliban and Al Qaeda which informs their close relationship. In quoting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the writer acknowledges the futility of fighting the Taliban and thus calls for negotiation as the way forward. Mehdi makes the point that the war in Afghanistan is essentially ideological in the contest between democracy and fundamentalism. The thrust of the writer is that for stability to be achieved there must be a reconciliation of ideology which takes into account the inclusion of the Taliban in government. Daily Outlook Afghanistan Citation. Mehdi, R. Citation. Mehdi, R. War against Taliban in Post-Osama Afghanistan. Daily Outlook Afghanistan. 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