Obamas Policy in Afghanistan - Research Paper Example

 Obama’s Policy in Afghanistan Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Introduction 2 Background 2 Obama’s policy 3 Challenges in Afghanistan 6 How is Obama doing? 8 Recommendations 8 Conclusion 9 References 10 Introduction Barack Obama, the 44th US president, is the first Afro American president of the country. On November 4, 2008 he was elected as the president of United States of America and on January 20, 2009 he took oath (White House, President Barack Obama). Prior to this period US was going through a challenging situation as on one hand there was global recession which made the country’s economy cripple and on the other hand US troops were struggling to get the ultimate success in Afghanistan. People of America choose Barack Obama because they were badly looking for a change in the country. Obama was likely to bring the ray of hope for the people of America. But for Obama it was a test of all his managerial and leadership skills. One of the major challenges that newly became president faced was making policies for Afghanistan. But before discussing Obama’s Afghanistan policy in detail it is very important to have a clear idea about the major incidents in Afghanistan over the past few years and how intensely America is associated with Afghanistan. Background After 9/11 America got itself directly involved in the biggest war against terrorism in Afghanistan as the country believed that Osama Bin Laden was the master mind behind 9/11. Laden was the founder of terrorist group Al Qaeda and was hiding in Afghanistan where he got support from Taliban. Thousands of US troops were deployed in Afghanistan with the objective of defeating Taliban and Al-Qaeda by catching Osama Bin Laden and other leaders of Al Qaeda and Taliban. On December 07, 2001 Kandahar which was a Taliban stronghold fell down and Bin Laden along with Mullah Mohammed Omar who was a Taliban leader escaped. On December 16 Tora Bora, the mountain cave where Taliban and Al Qaeda took shelter, also fell down. An interim government of six month was formed in Afghanistan and Hamid Karzai, was selected as the chairman of this government. In 2002 Karzai was elected as president of Afghanistan, although other Afghan factions were not happy regarding this. But on January 04, 2004 they all agreed on a constitution which made the way for elections (Guardian, A chronology of events in Afghanistan since the attacks of September 11 2001). Finally in October presidential election took place and in November Karzai was declared to be the winner. In the meanwhile international community was providing financial aid with the purpose of rebuilding the country. Despite of falling of most of the Taliban and Al Qaeda strongholds, several small and medium scale attacks were made from their end on the US and Afghan security forces. Even today they are facing many challenges from Taliban and Al Qaeda. Despite of this disturbing situation international community is trying to help the country in the process of its rebuilding. Different countries have been giving billions of dollars as financial aid. Obama’s policy Barack Obama even before becoming president was very much concerned regarding Afghanistan and Iraq issues. Obama has always talked about reducing the number of US force in Iraq and increasing the same in Afghanistan. One of the main objectives of president Obama was to make the ‘forgotten war’ in Afghanistan the major front of ‘war on terror’ (V. Gagnon-Lefebvre, Afghan Strategy and War on Terror Under President-Elect Barack Obama). After he became president it was expected that there would be significant change in US strategy regarding Afghanistan. On March 27, 2009 president Obama revealed his new strategy for Afghanistan. The President made it clear that main objective of US in Afghanistan would be dismantling, disrupting and defeating Al Qaeda. Not only that, US would also focus on preventing Al Qaeda’s return in Afghanistan in future. According to the president a comprehensive strategy would be crucial for Afghanistan. He also gave importance on the trilateral talk among Afghanistan, Pakistan and US. Barack Obama believes that US soldiers have fought courageously against a brutal enemy in Afghanistan and US citizens have made great sacrifices. The president also believes that people of Afghanistan have also made great sacrifices. On March 27, 2009 Obama declared that 17,000 more US troops would be sent to Afghanistan. This decision was taken on the basis of the request that was made by General McKiernan. These marines and soldiers were supposed to challenge the Taliban in the eastern and southern region of Afghanistan. According to Obama’s strategy these troops would be working hand in hand with Afghan security forces and protect the common people of the country. Another objective of sending these troops was to provide sufficient security in the upcoming presidential election in the country (J. Lee, A New Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan). Obama’s policy on Afghanistan not only focused on increasing the number of US troops in the country but also focused on training and increasing the number of Afghan security personnel. According to US president one of the most important ways of bringing US troops back in home is to make Afghans ready to take responsibility for their own country and people. Obama believes that deployment of additional troops would significantly increase the capacity of providing training the Afghan security forces. Moreover 4000 US troops would be sent by this spring for training Afghan security forces. According to the president this would significantly resource the effort of US to support and train the Afghan police and army. The president also declared that US would be seeking more troops from its NATO allies with the purpose of training Afghan units. According to Obama’s policy America’s long term objective regarding Afghan security forces is to build a strong Afghan police force of 82,000 personnel and an army of 134,000 by 2011. It was also stated that the strength of Afghan army would be increased to 200,000 in later years. Currently there are over 90,000 personnel and it has been able to gain the confidence of a large section of Afghan population (J. Borger. There's nothing new in Barack Obama's foreign policy - but the way it is knitted together offers hope). According to Washington post, though the official number of total US force that would be sent to Afghanistan is 21,000, but beyond this number Pentagon would be sending 13,000 more US troops to the country and this would not be announced. These additional 13,000 troops were supposed to be sent as support forces which would include medical personnel, military police, engineers and intelligence experts. Deployment of these men in Afghanistan was not clearly mentioned in Obama’s policy as it was intentionally kept hidden (A. S. Tyson, Additional Deployments Not Announced and Rarely Noted). Apart from the security issues Obama’s policy also focused on the civic issues of Afghanistan. Obama described that although there is an elected government in Afghanistan but it is highly corrupted and has been failing to deliver the basic services to the common Afghans. Afghanistan’s economy is badly affected by highly active narcotics trading which encourages criminality and provide funds for insurgency. According to the president there is huge requirement of educators, agricultural specialists, lawyers and engineers for the advancement of security, social justice and opportunity in the country. In Afghanistan there are many people who have been forced to take up arms. According to Obama these people are needed to be treated in different manners. But those who have taken up arms by their own choice are needed to be defeated. The president also stated that US would be working with Afghan government, local administration and international community in the process of reconciliation of each and every province of Afghanistan. According to Obama’s policy there would also be increase in the size of US embassy in Afghanistan by almost half to 900 personnel (K. Ghattas, Obama breaks with Bush Afghan policy). Challenges in Afghanistan Major challenges faced by Obama administration in Afghanistan include weak government, narcotics affected economy, volatile Pakistan-Afghan border and widespread corruption. But perhaps the most difficult challenge for Obama administration is to capture Osama Bin Laden. It has been found that Hamid Karzai government in Afghanistan is very weak and do not have control over the entire nation. As a result, insecurity and criminality are at their peak in the country. As far as the development is concerned this government is mostly depends on international fund. Main challenge for Obama government is to strengthen Afghanistan’s internal government so that there is rule of law to each and every corner of the country. Afghanistan is a very poor country where a large section of the people suffers from clean water, shortages of home, medical care, electricity and job. Afghan economy is badly affected by narcotics trading. The fund coming out of this trading is used by the Taliban and Al Qaeda for purchasing arms and ammunition. Around $3 billion are generated in illegally growing opium trade and expansion of poppy cultivation. This is one of the major challenges for Afghan administration as well as Obama administration. Previously US administration took the strategy of destroying poppy crops as it was the largest source of earnings to the insurgency. But now it has been decided that instead of crops, drug runners would be targeted. Moreover government must also persuade the farmers for planting other crops like wheat, pomegranates and flowers. Wheat would be used for domestic consumption and other two would be exported (T, Shanker. E, Bummiler. U.S. Shifts Afghan Narcotics Strategy). If Afghan administration with the help of Obama government can achieve this target then it would be extremely beneficial for the economy of Afghanistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan border is another major challenge for Obama. This border is the heaven of various Islamic militant groups who conduct their training camp over there. This border is a big threat for Afghanistan’s internal security. US troops could not manage to get any significant success in this region because of its geographical location. Widespread corruption in Afghanistan is one of the major challenges for Obama administration. Even president Hamid Karzai has admitted it after he has been elected for the second time. Major officials in the administration and police are highly corrupted. Huge amount of public money is being misused by these corrupted officials. Obama government must work hand in hand with the Afghanistan government in order to reduce corruption and bring transparency in the system. Finally the most difficult challenge for US is defeating Taliban and Al Qaeda in all parts of Afghanistan. Officially US troops ended Taliban regime in Afghanistan in 2001, but they were not able to pull the root of Taliban from all parts of the country. As a result even today large number of incidents of insurgency is taking place. Taliban and Al Qaeda are still very much there in the country. They are highly active in areas which are outside Kabul. Moreover, US troops have not been able to capture Osama Bin Laden and this is a major setback for them. How is Obama doing? Afghanistan has always been at the top of the priority list of Barack Obama. Unlike George Bush, who mainly focused on Iraq, Obama has always given attention to Afghanistan. His policies regarding Afghanistan have been found to be very much structured and focused towards the future development of the country. His decision of sending 21,000 extra troops would definitely strengthen the internal security of the country. Among these 4,000 troops are sent for providing training Afghan army and police. But it might seem that Obama’s policy is too much focused on the security issues of Afghanistan. It is true that security is the main problem in the country, but there are various other social and economic issues which are needed to be addressed with equal priority. Recommendations As far as addressing the security issues in Afghanistan are concerned US president has already made strong policies. He has ordered to send more troops to the country for strengthening its own army and police. But apart from improving the security Obama should give more attention on the economic and social development of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is one of poorest countries in the world. Most of the people in the country do not even have home to live, clean water to drink. As a result United States as well as other international countries should adopt proper long term strategies in order to improve the basic facilities in Afghanistan. Education is another major issue that needs to be addressed immediately. There are many young Afghans who were forced to take up arms and one of the major ways to solve this problem is educating them. Obama administration must also adopt some effective strategies to reduce the narcotics trading and strengthen Afghan economy. Special attention should be given to Afghan farmers who are involved in cultivation of poppy crops. Afghan farmers must be persuaded to plant other crops which are important for meeting domestic demand and boosting the economy. Conclusion Obama’s policy regarding Afghanistan is mainly security oriented. According to Julian Borger, diplomatic editor of Guardian, there is hardly anything new in Obama’s policy, but the way of presenting it is very encouraging. Most importantly these mentioned strategies regarding Afghanistan require more time to provide expected results. References A. S. Tyson, Additional Deployments Not Announced and Rarely Noted. October 13, 2009. Support Troops Swelling U.S. Force in Afghanistan. November 23, 2009 < http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/12/AR2009101203142.html > Guardian, A chronology of events in Afghanistan since the attacks of September 11 2001. April 08, 2009. Afghanistan: 2001-2008. November 23, 2009 < http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/08/afghanistantimeline.afghanistan> J. Lee, A New Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. March 27, 2009. The White House Blog November 23, 2009 J. Borger. There's nothing new in Barack Obama's foreign policy - but the way it is knitted together offers hope. March 28, 2009. Guardian.co.uk < http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/28/barack-obama-afghanistan-pakistan-policy> K. Ghattas, Obama breaks with Bush Afghan policy. March 27, 2009. BBC News. < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7969071.stm> T, Shanker. E, Bummiler. U.S. Shifts Afghan Narcotics Strategy. July 23, 2009. The New York Times < http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/world/asia/24poppy.html?_r=2> V. Gagnon-Lefebvre, Afghan Strategy and War on Terror Under President-Elect Barack Obama. December 21, 2009. Obama's Foreign Policy Objectives in Afghanistan November 23, 2009 < http://us-foreign affairs.suite101.com/article.cfm/obamas_foreign_policy_objectives_in_afghanistan> White House, President Barack Obama. No Date. The Administration. November 23, 2009 Read More