Obama Maps Out ‘New’ Afghan War Plan

More Troops, More Money, No End in Sight

by Jason Ditz, March 27, 2009

Today, President Obama formally unveiled his “comprehensive, new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.” While outlying little in the way of specifics, the president declared his intentions to continue the war’s escalation and to continue to throw money at the problem. The European Union appears to have been quite impressed with the vague posturing, declaring it “very close to the European ideas about the mission,” and pledge to increase the amount of money they’re throwing at nation-building in the nation.

In the remarks, Obama took a page from the previous administration’s book, in declaring the insurgents in the mountains of southern Afghanistan a threat to “the safety of people around the world,” and insisting that only his comprehensive new strategy can save everyone.

But, as is so often the case, the “new” nature of the strategy seems very much in question. More troops, more money, more praise for the mission. The president pinned the prior failures on lack of resources “because of the war in Iraq,” and even though that war is far from over, he remains optimistic that the latest so-called comprehensive strategy will succeed where all the other comprehensive strategies have failed.

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