It is said that there are ‘two poles in Washington: the counterinsurgency experts, or COIN-istas, who believe Afghanistan’s deteriorating security can only be reversed by adding tens of thousands of troops – perhaps as many as 80,000; and those who believe US interests in Afghanistan are few, and the best way to keep it on a low simmer is to employ a counterterrorism-like model – using drones, bombs, and special forces teams to keep Al Qaeda at bay.’ To say that the debate in Washington is protracted is an understatement. In all this, the decision of US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates is said to be the most crucial.

Robert Gates holds the vital yet precarious advantage of swinging the vote in Obama’s decision on the Afghanistan war. As Pentagon chief, his advice on whether or not to grant the request of US generals for an escalation of troops in Afghanistan will determine the fate and future of said war. ‘The Defense secretary’s role in shaping Mr. Obama’s policy in Afghanistan is seen as a swing vote among the president’s counselors on the question at hand: Whether to send a surge of tens of thousands more troops to support the current counterinsurgency against the Taliban or to overhaul the mission entirely.’

However, Gates has in the past expressed concern about the size of the American “footprint” in Afghanistan. He is worried that ‘too many forces could look a lot like an occupation.’ Yet, he admits that ‘long-term needs of Afghanistan – good governance, economic opportunity, and a strong indigenous force – won’t magically appear without the help of the US military stabilizing the country.’

What is clear with Gates is his ‘genuine feeling for the troops. He personally handwrites letters to each family of those killed overseas.’ Bush made him Iraq’s “Mr. Fix-it.” Now, Obama expects him to do the same tinkering in Afghanistan.

Via The Christian Science Monitor