President Obama. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
The Hill: Obama’s war legacy in the balance
Afghanistan is returning to the forefront of U.S. politics, presenting President Obama with a legacy-defining question that could roil the Democratic and Republican races to succeed him.
A U.S. airstrike ordered by Afghan forces that inadvertently killed 22 people at a Doctors Without Borders hospital this weekend has amplified concerns that security forces are not ready to stand on their own two feet.
The turmoil in Afghanistan is presenting Obama with a painful choice: to go back on his promise to end the longest war in American history or press ahead with withdrawal over the advice of his top commanders.
WNU Editor: President Bush left office with the Iraq and Afghan wars as his legacy .... the impression that I am having of this White House when it comes to international affairs is that of a President and his supporters trying their best to keep everything from blowing-up in their faces. And while the last thing that President Obama wants to see on his watch is a major war and/or the complete implosion of Afghanistan and/or Iraq .... the trends are indicating otherwise, and what will happen in the next year will ultimately define his legacy.
On a personal note .... I cannot help but be stunned on how much the world has changed in just the past two to three years. All of the countries around the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East are now experiencing the following .... a state of civil war, facing war, experiencing terrorism and/or facing terror threats, social unrest, massive economic hardships, and mass migration at a level that has not been seen since the Second World War. The Post-Cold-War era in eastern Europe is also now at an end, and in its place we are seeing a new "Cold-War' descending with all of the tensions and dangers that it presents. And China .... asserting its territorial claims and putting fear in all of its neighbours, .... and doing so knowing that the U.S. is a declining power with limited influence in Asia. And then there is Afghanistan .... with no good options on the table .... and definitely no end to the fighting there.
2 comments:
WNU,
A long time ago I mentioned that it had become personal for Putin when it came to Obama. I still think that's the case. With Obama's habit of controlling everything and taking credit for everything (even things that haven't happened), he has made himself a target for Putin and an easy one at that. Virtually every move Russia has made and especially the public way they are made is a direct slap in the face to Obama. The next 11 months are going to be very interesting.
Ps. The Chinese who put a lot of stock in "face" are watching this and taking notes.
I do remember your claim .... and I was sceptical. No more now. After all the slights and insults .... Putin is still primarily motivated by Russia's national security and economic priorities .... but it has become personal with Obama.
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