Solutions, anyone?

Position 1

Send more U.S and NATO troops to Afghanistan for a counterinsurgency strategy.

Thesis: Recognizing the danger of the Taliban, the United States and NATO forces must do everything in their power to diminish the threat of the Taliban, even if that entails increasing troop amounts.

David Kilcullen is an acclaimed author and political consultant. He received a doctorate in Political Studies and currently serves on the U.S State Department.

1.) Keeping in mind the lessons learned from the premature withdrawal in 2001

after which the Taliban was able to regain control, a thorough effort must be made to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban and to bar them from reasserting any authority in the country.

2.) Troop increases are required to implement a fully functioning and efficient counterinsurgency strategy in the region. Such a strategy would involve building trust with the Afghans and protecting them from Taliban threats, with the overall goal being the eradication of terrorist threats.

3.)The United States must also work to improve the Afghan standard of living, specifically by training and devloping strong security forces and strengthening the central government, thus allowing the country to become "self defending"

Position 2

Shift the military effort to Pakistan instead of Afghanistan

Thesis: Since Pakistan poses more of a political threat, and there is a higher

concentration of Taliban safe-havens in the region, the United States should reallocate its troops and resources and begin a military offensive in Pakistan

Michael A. Cohen is an author and frequent political commentator. He previously served in the U.S. State Department as a speechwriter. He is currently the Senior Research Fellow at the New America Foundation. U.S Parag Khanna is an Indian American author and international relations expert. He currently serves as the Director of the Global Governance Initiative of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation, a think tank based in Washington DC.

1.) The influence of the Taliban will not be able to spread throughout Afghanistan to the point where they will be able to gain full control of the region. They do not pose as serious of a threat to the government of Afghanistan as they do to Pakistan.

2.) The United States should reallocate its resources and move towards a strategy that will implement drone strikes, and strong collaboration with the Pakistani government.

3.) Troops in Afghanistan should focus strictly on wiping out Taliban leadership, and implement diplomacy in Pakistan to persuade them to join the government.

Post 3

Focus on regional negotiations instead of a military solution.

Tariq Ali is a Punjabi author, filmmaker, activist and political commentator. He has a high public profile, engaging in debates with such big players as Henry Kissinger and Michael Stewart.

Thesis: It is unlikely that the United States will become a trusted, influential force in Afghanistan. Troops should be withdrawn in order to practice a strategy of diplomacy.

1.) Historical and cultural animosity towards those who attempt to occupy Afghanistan is very strong. For this reason, we may never be able to make substantial military gains.

2.) We must combat the root problems that cause extremism in the region. Work on improving the living standards and educating the public. This will discourage Taliban recruitment

3.) A strategy of diplomacy, utilizing neighboring powers as well, will be more effective in combating insurgency than increasing or maintaining our levels of occupation.

Post 4

Withdraw U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan

George Will is a Pulitzer Prize-winning commentator, author, journalist, and columnist. He is especially renowned for his political commentary and analysis.

Thesis: Victory in Afghanistan is impossible to attain. Troop levels should be reduced, with the eventual transfer of all military efforts in the region to off-shore bases and the supplemental drone attack.

1.) The Taliban has too great of an influence, an endless will, and are extremely flexible and able to recuperate and regain strength after any sort of weeding out. We cannot hope to permanently eradicate them.

2.) The concept of "nation building" in a country such as Afghanistan is extremely futile, as it is so exceedingly poor. Trying to solve this problem will merely suck up huge amounts of money, troops and resources, which we simply cannot afford.

3.) Our strategy should shift towards executing air strikes and drone attacks in the tribal regions of Afghanistan/Pakistan. Specifically Pakistan, where the true threat lies.

Children of the Taliban

1.) Why do children join the Taliban?
Children join the Taliban for a few major reasons. One of these is the influence of madrassas in the region. State schools have largely failed, partially due to lack of government funding, but also due to the bombings conducted by the Taliban on such schools. The Taliban provides Madrassas as an alternative. In a Madrassa, a child can receive free food and lodging. This is a very attractive idea to a region where most of the people live under the poverty line. However, the purpose of these madrassas is to train a new generation of Taliban militants. Students are instructed to memorize the koran and they are taught justification for suicide attacks. Also, the air raids done on villages by the Pakistani army, as well as the U.S. military has angered people in the region. The Taliban capitalizes on this anger by using this resentment as tool for recruitment, especially in young males. Additionally, many people are simply intimidated by the violent acts that the Taliban is capable of committing against them. This is why many believe the answer is to join them in order to preemptly prevent such a thing from happening to them.

2.) How has the war in Pakistan impacted children?
The violence in Pakistan has forced thousands from their homes and villages. Many people are living in camps for displaced personswithin the Pakistani border. The Taliban truly has created a culture of fear. No one dares defy the strict religious edicts that they've issued. These laws follow a strict version of Islamic Shari'a law. No girl is allowed to attend school. Women out in public must be covered. Children are faced with the harsh realities of a burgeoning civil war.

3.) Has the military offensive by Pakistani army/US military drones been effective?
In truth, the strategy hasn't worked out as effectively as was hoped. The drones are fairly easily shot down by Taliban fire, and those that successfully destroy their targets merely help to fuel the anger and opposition towards the United States military. We saw in the video that boy whose house was destroyed in an air strike, and how he believed that his path to vindication was through joining the Taliban. It was also said that these attacks merely strengthen the resolve of the Taliban.

4.) How and why does the Taliban continue to grow?
The Taliban has benefitted from the weakness of the government, the unrest of the people, and the religious fervor that is easily propagated in that predominantly Islamic area. Attacks done by the Pakistani army and the US military, which are attempts to stop the Taliban, have managed to harm villages and civilians. The Taliban preys on their anger, fear, and confusion. They indoctrinate children, and provide a semblance of law and order in a region where chaos reigns supreme. They have set their sights on the lofty goal of overthrowing the government of Pakistan, as it has adopted western-leanings. This overarching sense of fanaticism has spread through propaganda, and through policies of fear and intimidation.

Obama's Fateful Decision

Obama was faced with the extremely difficult decision as to which strategy we should take in our fight in Afghanistan. Not only was it an important decision that will affect that region for years to come, it is also a political land mine. With such opposing viewpoints on the matter, no matter which path is chosen, people are bound to be upset about it. You touch the issue, you blow up.
The media frenzy has already begun. People commending and condemning the choice that Obama made by deciding to send 30,000 additional troops over the next 6 months. Here is an excerpt from his speech:

"The review is now complete, and as commander-in-chief, I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home. These are the resources that we need to seize the initiative while building the Afghan capacity that can allow for a responsible transition of our forces out of Afghanistan. Taken together, these additional American and international troops will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces and allow us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011. Just as we have done in Iraq, we will execute this transition responsibly, taking into account conditions on the grounds.
We'll continue to advise and assist Afghanistan's security forces to ensure that they can succeed over the long haul, but it will be clear to the Afghan government, and more importantly, to the Afghan people that they will ultimately be responsible for their own country."

In my opinion, Obama made a good decision in deciding not to pull out of the war in Afghanistan. We've already invested too much time, too much money, too many resources, and too many soldiers to abandon the cause now. I also think that it's too fragile of a situation in the region to back out at this point. The Taliban is growing in strength and numbers, and the Afghan government is fairly weak. It may not be able to stand up against heavy insurgent pressure. Additionally, the Taliban may become able to carry out their goal of capturing the government of Pakistan without any pressure from the United States military. Also, higher troop levels are required to protect the people of Afghanistan against Taliban offensives. Aside from the strategic reasons, pulling out of Afghanistan would send a pretty bad signal to the world about the United States' ability to follow through on a promise. That, perhaps, isn't as large of an issue, but America isn't currently the most popular on the world stage and this would certainly not help us any. Obviously, Obama couldn't send a more substantial number of troops because of the financial aspect, and the political pressure. Also, he was smart to differentiate himself and his strategy from the unpopular strategy implemented in Iraq by setting a timetable to bring the troops home. This sends the message that the job will be done quickly and it does will not test the patience on the part of the American people. For these reasons, I think it was a fairly smart political move, and it did not strategically undermine our hopes in the region. Of course, there is no guarantee that the troop increase will actually result in victory....

Afghanistan and Their Never-ending Supply of Problems

Afghanistan is a nation chock-full of crazy, seemingly unsolvable problems that range from ethnic, cultural, geographical, economical, political social, international... the list goes on and on. After watching The War Briefing, which focuses on the United States' occupation, I wasn't exactly hit with a surge of optimism about our prospects in the region. Four significant problems that were outlined in the video are:

1.) Opium production/black market opium trade

Afghanistan is the single largest producer of opium in the world. Most farmers in Afghanistan make their living by growing and selling poppies. However, the opium isn't being sold to help meet the world demand for medicinal opiates. Instead it's being sold on the black market, where the Taliban gains major profits. The Taliban is subsidizing the growth of opium crops on Afghan farms. They then sell these crops to fund their various endeavors, i.e. terrorism. This is a perfect symbiotic system, though. The farmers profit by growing these crops, which helps to strengthen local economies. Meanwhile, the Taliban is becoming hugely wealthy off of this extremely lucrative market.

2.) Fighting a faceless, relentless, borderless enemy

The nature of the war is nothing like the way most wars have been fought in our history. Firstly, the terrrain is extremely difficult to navigate and most missions have to be conducted on foot. This puts our troops at a higher risk of falling under guerilla fire. The enemy combatants don't wear any sort of uniform. In fact, it is often challenging to distinguish between villagers and Taliban militants. Also, the Taliban is almost endlessly strong in their resolve. Our efforts to bomb them only make them more determined to beat us. In fact, when we increase pressure, the Taliban simply flees into Pakistan and the tribal regions. They have a safe-haven there where they may renew their troops, their artillery, and prepare to attack again.

3.) Reduced ability to win "hearts and minds"

A very central part of the current counterterrorism strategy is the idea of instilling trust, communication, and cooperation with the local population. Unfortunately, our efforts in doing so thus far have been pretty futile. We supply local villages with medical supplies, food, water, etc. and try to convince the people that we're able to protect them from Taliban insurgency in the hopes that they'll provide us with information about Taliban whereabouts. The villagers are faced with serious threats from the Taliban that they will harm them if they give our troops any sort of information that may help them strategically. The sad truth is that the people fear the Taliban more than they respect us and what we're trying to do in securing the region. Without this local cooperation, our ability to defeat the enemy forces are greatly lessened.

4.) Lack of troops/resources/support

American troops face an immensely huge challenge in Afghanistan, and the limited number of ground troops aren't able to accomplish everything that needs to be done. Additionally, the amount of resources they have at their disposal is less-than ideal. A lot of this is due to simple troop shortages, but there is also a lack of support and understanding from home. I'm not speaking about fundamental opposition to the war and its goals. I'm talking about complacency and lack of knowledge about the troops in Afghanistan. It seems that many people aren't truly aware of the situation on the ground in that difficult region.