Political Article on “Obama’s Afghanistan War Speech Partly a Bid for More Foreign Troops”

12/10/09

Political Article #13

Obama’s Afghanistan war speech partly a bid for more foreign troops — Howard LaFranchi — The Christian Science Monitor — November 28, 2009

President Barack Obama is expected to make an announcement about the sending of about another 30,000 American troops into Afghanistan. Currently, there are already 68,000 US troops fighting in Afghanistan so Obama is expected to ask for about an additional 50% of the current US troops in Afghanistan. General Stanley McChrystal, the US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, had requested at least another 40,000 troops to help in the war effort. It is hoped by President Obama that the other NATO countries, allies of the United States, will be willing to contribute 10,000 more troops to help with the war effort. “At the end of the day, I believe that between what President Obama announces and what the allies end up putting in will get us to General McChrystal’s 40,000,” says Lawrence Korb, a national security policy analyst and a former Pentagon official. Initial reports suggest that US partners in Afghanistan will only reach about 5,000 troop, not the needed 10,000. Instead of sending more troops, some NATO members, like Canada and the Netherlands, are instead drawing up plans to pull out. I guess we will all just need to wait and see if the President requests for another 30,000 troops to be sent to Afghanistan.

The President’s speech on a possible increase of American troops in Afghanistan could greatly impact the United States. Not only could this lead to partial solution to the war on terrorism; but this could also inconsequentially cause the deaths of many American troops and Ally troops. The President’s speech to America could also greatly impact the decisions and cooperation of the other NATO countries. The already waning support to the war is being felt in most all of the other NATO countries. Obama’s speech could boost their enthusiasm or drain their hope of completing the war in a timely manner. The speech could also increase or decrease American support for the war effort. This speech has the opportunity to have both either a positive and negative change to the United States. Either way, President Obama’s speech about the Afghanistan war will greatly impact the future of the United States.