OK-- so I just finished reading up on Obama's new Afghan plan, and it seems to make sense to me. So before anyone goes off saying that it's the new "surge" or the new "Vietnam", let's review:
1. The 4,000 extra troops being sent over there are not for combat-- they're being sent for training.
2. The extra money being sent is not for weapons or military supplies-- it's being sent to build roads, schools and hospitals.
3. The new strategy is focused on getting rid of Al-Qaeda, not the Taliban
4. The goal is to establish an effective Afghan government, not necessarily install a democratic government.
The last two points may seem like fine distinctions but I think they're important-- an American-style democracy may not be the best form of government for the Afghan people, and we shouldn't be so presumptuous to assume so. Second, we need to remember that Al-Qaeda was the perpetrator of 9-11-- and if we end up having to negotiate with the Taliban to achieve our goals, then as unpleasant as that sounds, that may be our only option. Let's not forget that the U.S. is very chummy with lots of other governments that oppress women and brutalize their own citizens just as badly (China and Saudi Arabia, e.g.). Not that we approve of such behavior-- but there are other ways and other opportunities to affect change on those fronts.
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