2009 Essays

Is Obama About to Make a Disastrous Mistake?

Mitchell, Lincoln A.

President Obama’s decision about Afghanistan will likely be one of the most important ones he makes during his presidency and will almost certainly set the tone and the agenda for the rest of his time in office. The President has taken a long time on this decision. While it is possible that he simply cannot make up his mind, it is also possible that he is using this time to put all the pieces in place to support his decision. Whatever the president decides, whether it is withdrawal, adding 30,000-40,000 more troops or something in between, there will be a lot of political and logistical work that needs to be done. Doing this work, which, if Obama decides to send more troops, includes issues of moving soldiers and material to Afghanistan, determining what countries can be flown over and what cannot and what commitments can be expected by allies and other countries in the region, takes time and is better done in advance rather than once the decision is made and the policy is moving forward.