President Barack Obama

As the 44th president of the United States, the conflict in Afghanistan is now Barack Obama’s war. Will President Obama be able to turn around the struggle for Afghanistan? President Obama will have many difficult decisions to make about this nearly 8 year long war.

As commander in chief, Barack Obama has ordered more troops to Afghanistan. But Obama knows that the Taliban cannot be defeated by military force alone. President Barack Obama has called for a new strategy on Afghanistan. Obama also realizes that the war in Afghanistan cannot be resolved without also dealing with Pakistan, where the Taliban and Al-Qaeda have bases and safe havens to aid their insurgency in Afghanistan. Furthermore, there is much corruption and drug activity by the American-supported government in Afghanistan. In the months ahead, President Obama must find answers to difficult problems facing the United States in the Afghan war.

President Barack Obama has unveiled his new plan for Afghanistan and Pakistan after his administration conducted a strategic review. The new strategy links the conflict with Taliban and Al-Qaeda elements in Afghanistan with their allies in Pakistan. This linkage recognizes that the insurgents use Pakistan as their base for attacking Afghanistan, a point made clear by President Obama.

In announcing his new strategy, Barack Obama also indicated that military means alone won’t win the war. Obama announced another 4,000 American troops would be sent to Afghanistan to train the local army and police. In addition, President Barack Obama indicated that major non-military resources, including civilian experts in governance and agriculture, would be sent to aid the Kabul government. Also, Barack Obama said more non-military aid, of about $1.5 billion per year over five years, will be provided to the people of Pakistan.