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HOME > PUBLICATIONS > Exclusive: Situation in Afghanistan Reaches Crucial Stage – What Will the White House Do?

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September 9, 2009

Exclusive: Situation in Afghanistan Reaches Crucial Stage – What Will the White House Do?

James Carafano, PhD, Presidential Policy: Does It Make the Grade?

Afghanistan is the number one national security challenge for the administration. Polls show support for the war is slipping, particularly among the president’s strongest constituents and European allies. The White House also seemed to be losing support on the war from the right. Respected conservative pundit George Will threw up his and hands and said it was time to quit. Meanwhile, claims of voter fraud in the Afghan presidential elections continued to grow.
 
To make matters more troubling last week, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the senior officer responsible for operations in the country, announced the results of his “strategic review” of the situation. He said it was bad and getting worse. Adm. Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said much the same. Most expect Gen. McChrystal will soon ask for significant additional resources to set things right.
 
Last week, Defense Secretary Gates indicated he might support sending in more troops and the president was days away from announcing a decision on the matter.
 
Now the real test of leadership comes for the president. If he doesn’t commit the resources needed or sets an abrupt timeline to turn things around (timed to meet the demands of the U.S. mid-term elections next year) then he will fail. The Taliban, the people of Afghanistan, our allies, and the government of Pakistan are all looking for a signal on whether he will stay the course in Afghanistan throughout his presidential term. If they see anything less than total commitment from the White House then they will quickly conclude that this administration will cut and run…and their assessment will probably be right.
 
Giving up in Afghanistan would be a tragic mistake. It would be tantamount to turning the country back over to the Taliban and al Qaeda...and that would just lead to the next 9/11. 
 
Senior Heritage expert James Phillips, rightly argues what is needed now is firm presidential leadership, not politically calculated half measures. In a recent paper he makes the case that this is a winnable war but that it will require “more American boots on the ground beyond the 68,000 that will be deployed by the end of the year.” 
 
All the world waits to see what the White House will do. Until then on this one extremely crucial national security matter the grade for the president must remain one really big “I” for incomplete.
 
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., is a leading expert in defense affaires, intelligence, military operations and strategy, and homeland security at the Heritage Foundation. Feedback: editorialdirector@familysecuritymatters.org.

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