Obama's speech on Iraq worries Afghanistan

This story is not a surprise to anyone who has been following stories from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Ever since President Barack Obama delivered his Oval Office speech to mark the day that the role of American Combat Forces in Iraq had changed, one could predict that this story was coming. Everyone who heard and commented about the speech said that the president’s message was confusing and would not be welcomed by those who live in these three violence-plagued countries. The only question was who would do it first.

This time the honor goes to Time magazine’s web page (and please pardon the play on words).

A story placed on the American magazine’s web site late September 1, said that Afghanis were not thrilled by what the president had said.

“Afghans might have been expected to cheer when President Obama asserted that the drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq would free up extra resources for the conflict in their country, where the fighting has only gotten bloodier since the Taliban’s resurgence. Yet many Afghans say the American president’s remarks are cause for even more concern,” the story said. It added the withdrawal of troops from Iraq brought concerns to ordinary Afghanis. They are still concerned that the most difficult days in the war against the combined Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces are still ahead.

“We are worried the Americans don’t have the patience to stay as long as we need them to,” says Ruhollah, 24, an employee of a Western firm. “I don’t like to think what happens if we are left alone. And Ruhollah has every reason in the world to be concerned.”

American credibility in the country is certainly not stellar. They still remember when the United States helped Afghanis fight off the Russian armed forces only to abandon the country shortly after that, having paved the way for a ruthless Taliban regime to gain control of the country’s government.

That was about two decades ago. Afghanis have more recent reasons to worry. President Obama and his civilian advisors do not understand that what they say in the United States to satisfy a growing anti-war sentiment predominantly in the Democratic Party has repercussions in these three war-torn countries. While Obama waffled on whether the August 2011 troop withdrawal from Afghanistan was conditioned to how the war effort was doing, which he said in the speech; or if it was a date certain, which he also said, people in the region don’t know what to think.

In fact many Americans have the same questions. Ask the military leaders and they give one answer. Ask administration officials, and in particular Vice President Joe Biden and he comes up with something completely different. It is difficult to win a war, or even to control violence in a country, when the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing, or what the brain is thinking.

The story in Time said: “When he ordered a second troop surge in Afghanistan in December, Obama insisted that, like in Iraq, a major troop buildup was needed so the U.S. military could ultimately get out of what has become its longest war to date. But with deployments set to reach a full strength of 150,000 within days, combat deaths in Afghanistan are at a record level — and the pumped-up presence has only until Obama’s deadline of July 2011, or about 11 months, to make an impact before the troops are scheduled to start withdrawing.”

Some in the United States and in Afghanistan say even that view is too optimistic. They believe that the Obama administration will make its decision in December when the White House has scheduled a review the war strategy. By then the United States will probably make its decision, and if politics prevail it will be to get out of the country quickly.

“Several senior military officials have hinted that a significant troop reduction may have to be delayed, but in his Iraq speech, Obama maintained that ‘open-ended war’ serves neither our interests nor the Afghan people’s,” the Time story said. “Afghan government officials, including President Hamid Karzai, and other observers shudder at the July 2011 deadline — or any deadline, for that matter. Homegrown security forces are not ready, they argue. Setting a time frame gives the Taliban-led insurgency “a morale boost,” in the words of Karzai, to wait out American forces until they pull out,” it added.

This does not even consider other issues. Corruption is rampant in Afghanistan. The Afghani president has hinted he may try to work out a deal with the local Taliban. And nobody will say if American forces will pursue Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces that hide in Pakistan and cross the border only to launch surprise attacks.

Obama had many things to say about too many issues. Too bad he did not address any of them in a comprehensive manner.

The Americano is a digital magazine that is part of Gingrich Communications.