Debate on Afghanistan in "The Arena"
The Politico’s discussion forum – “The Arena” – asked the question “What’s the most critical question the President–and the public–should be asking as Obama reviews strategy for Afghanistan?” Participants in the discussion came from all areas of the spectrum and highlighted different issues that face the Obama Administration in Afghanistan.
Sample responses include:
Gary Clyde Hufbauer of the Peterson Institute: “Is the American mission in Afghanistan to root out al Qaeda pockets that threaten the United States (a job for elite special forces), or is our mission to establish an effective central government with the characteristics of a functioning democracy (a task for an army of occupation)?”
David Boaz of the Cato Institute: “In a country that has always been only loosely ruled, does it make sense to devote American strength to building a strong central state? Or might we be able to extricate ourselves sooner if we accept a decentralized Afghanistan with some regions ruled by groups that are currently fighting against our troops?”
Jeff Emanual of RedState.com: “The most important question for President Obama to be asking about Afghanistan is twofold: (1) What does “victory” look like in the landlocked, tribally-organized (using “organized” very loosely) state, and (2) How can we accomplish that goal in such a way as to allow us to focus our efforts, energy, and resources on Pakistan, which has long since surpassed Afghanistan as the key Central Asian front in the War on Terror?”
Michael O’Hanlon of the Brookings Institute: “I’d be curious to know how the Obama administration is doing its force sizing for Afghanistan–why 17,000 more troops, and why not 30,000 (or 100,000 for that matter, bringing resources up to Iraq-like levels)? Also, how long is it likely to take for the new strategy and new buildup to yield results?”
