A few days back, Obama was pondering on an ‘exit plan’ for Afghanistan. The strategy for Afghanistan presented on Friday by the U.S. president represents a radical change in relation to his predecessor George W. Bush’s strategy. Obama presented in a ceremony in the White House the long-awaited new strategy that will be presented next week at the NATO summit and includes, among other things, sending more troops and civilian staff to Afghanistan.
The plan abandons the policy of Bush who Obama believes squandered early gains in Afghanistan to put the emphasis on the war in Iraq. It also adopts a more realistic attitude towards the Asian country. Where his predecessor narrowed on the establishment of a modern democracy, Obama chooses to put emphasis on the fight against Al Qaeda, the provision of basic government services to the population, and strengthening of the Afghan forces – in a word, security. The components of this sociopolitical package seem more concrete than Bush’s democratization, an abstract concept.
The president has decided that the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan requires a greater involvement despite the palpable fatigue among the American people and US allies as regards to the material and human costs of the international presence in the central Asian country. In his view, the situation is ‘increasingly dangerous’ because the Al Qaeda has been able to achieve full capacity of movement.
One of the key factors of the new plan is the emphasis on international cooperation. According to Obama, “The security of people around the world is at stake in Afghanistan.”
Via TIME
