It is not uncommon for a President’s approval rating to go down after he makes a big decision that involves a lot of American lives. So naturally, it is not hard to see why Barack Obama’s rating has fallen dramatically since he ordered the deployment of over 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. He believes this will help end the conflict there, but many Americans don’t see it that way. Many are worried about the time frame he has set for the troops withdraw and eventual trip home. Eighteen months is a very short time to end a war that has been dragging on for almost a decade against an enemy that has an obvious advantage due to their knowledge of the terrain. History has shown us the difficulties of war, especially without public support. I believe Barack is giving the people false hopes, and its not hard to see from the opinion polls that others feel the same way. Many people may be asking themselves why we need to send more troops to Afghanistan. President Obama says “our security is at stake”(msnbc.com). This will nearly triple our forces in that country and strengthen what we already have set in place there. ”Those deployments include a 4,000-strong contingent of trainers from the 4th brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division, 17,000 other combat troops, a 2,800-strong combat aviation brigade and thousands of support forces whose placement was not publicly announced, the Pentagon said”(Washington Post). The deployment of more troops will not come without a price. Aside from the lives that will ultimately be lost the war will cost the US “$30 billion for the first year alone”(msnbc.com) Back in April, Obama seemed to be a little skeptical about sending more troops. In a television interview he said “he had "resourced properly" th... ... middle of paper ... .... Works Cited Franklin, Charles H. "Presidential Approval in Perspective." Web. 10 Dec. 2009. . Jones, Jeffrey M. "Americans Split on Whether Goals in Afghanistan Will Be Met." Web. 10 Dec. 2009. . "Obama Approval Rating Falls to 50 Percent." Ed. Brian Montopoli. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. . "Obama details Afghan war plan, troop increases - White House- msnbc.com." MSNBC. Ed. Charles Dharapak/AP. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. . Tyson, Ann S. "Military Wants More Troops for Afghan War." Web. 10 Dec. 2009. .
Madison, Lucy. "Poll: Support for War in Afghanistan Hits All-time Low." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 26 Mar. 2012. Web. 09 Apr. 2012.
Shanker, Thom. "Afghan Commandos Step Up Their Combat Role." The New York Times. 14 May 2013. The New York Times. 11 Feb. 2014 .
Matthews, Matt M. "We Have Not Learned How to Wage War There" The Soviet Approach in Afghanistan 1979-1989 Occasional Paper 36. Lexington: Combat Studies Institute, 2011.
...”. He further claims that bin Laden’s death was a great achievement and “we’ve disrupted terrorists’ attacks and strengthened our homeland”, but “his death is not the end of our effort”. In order to justify the need for military troops to remain in Afghanistan, he stated that “we must remain vigilant at home and abroad”.
Rich, Paul B. (2010), 'Counterinsurgency or a war on terror? The war in Afghanistan and the debate on Western strategy', Small Wars & Insurgencies, 21 (2), 16.
1. Immediately following the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, American military power sought out and aggressively attacked Al Qaeda and Taliban strongholds in Afghanistan. Within weeks, the United States removed the Taliban from governing Afghanistan and worked with the international community to establish a new democratic government led by Afghan native Hamid Karzai, who would soon be elected president. However, by 2006, the Taliban significantly increased attacks on pro-Afghan government officials, Afghan security forces, and coalition military members. The United States and partner North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members responded with a surge of military might in 2010 to make one final push to drive the Taliban out. With major ground now gained for the Afghan government in 2014, Afghanistan faces a critical crossroads in its nation’s history. After recovering areas once held by the Taliban, Afghanistan must become self-sufficient in sustaining its first democratic government. With Company Grade Officers (CGOs) in the American military key to reaching strategic objectives, a secure and democratic Afghanistan is in the national interest of the United States in order to prevent a safe-haven for international terrorist activity.
Since the year 2001, Afghanistan’s history with the United States has been very rough and destructive due to the Afghanistan War. Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, then-President George W. Bush signed a joint law resolution authorizing the use of force against those responsible for the 9/11 attack (“U.S. War in Afghanistan”). On October 7th, 2001, the US launched missile strikes against Taliban military starting the official “War of Afghanistan” (Afghanistan Profile - Timeline). Twelve days after the airstrikes, the first wave of conventional ground forces arrive in Afghanistan (“U.S. War in Afghanistan”). In August 2003, two years after the start of the war, there are now over 10,000 American soldiers fighting in Afghanistan (“U.S. War in Afghanistan”). A few years passed by without any major events during the war, until September of 2008 when President Bush sent an extra 4,500 troops to Afghanistan (Afghanistan Profile-
"Presidential Approval Ratings -- George W. Bush." Gallup.Com - Daily News, Polls, Public Opinion on Government, Politics, Economics, Management. Gallup, Inc., 04 Oct. 2011. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. .
Smith, Gordon. “Canada in Afghanistan: Is it working?” Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute, 2007.
...n Afghanistan. Ed. Jann Einfeld. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2005. Current Controversies. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. .
President Obama’s Sunday night speech was about three-quarters of what the cynics and his critics expected. The lone bits of good news were the president’s belated acknowledgement that the Fort Hood shooting was terrorism – not “workplace violence” – and that he didn’t announce any new executive orders dealing with gun control. For starters, the optics of this speech were very strange – why stand in front of the desk in the Oval Office? Did he get poked or get makeup in his left eye right before he went on air? He seemed to be squinting. The only other time the president addressed the country on Sunday night, he announced the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. One expected something new, groundbreaking, or different. Instead, he offered the
...troops are withdrawn. The government in Afghanistan will be able to run itself with guidance from America, shifting to the supporting role. Obama’s plan was more effective than Nixon’s in that it actually worked and did not need to be faked. President Obama’s approach to ending the war greatly helps to benefit America and its people.
Based on the three polling outlets, more people disapprove of President Obama’s actions as the leader of the United States. Furthermore, in analyzing more previous polls produced by Gallup, it is evident that the trend has been in the direction of more disapproval among the American people. This occurrence is likely due to the President’s implementation of stricter gun regulation, and also the Affordable Care Act. However, Zogby gave the President a relatively high job performance rating due to a recent spike in job creation.
Endersby, A. (2011, February 20). Afghanistan, invasion of. Retrieved May 23, 2011, from International Debate Education Association: http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=145
Council, H. P. (2012). Afghanistan's vision by 2015 . Kabul: High Peace Council law committee .