Maintaining Our Resolve In Afghanistan

Maintaining Our Resolve In Afghanistan

It is ironic that it is mostly Republicans who support President Obama on his prosecution of the Afghanistan war… perhaps, this is so because the current President is merely continuing the policies of the last. Nonetheless, there is a growing clarion call for a change in course in Afghanistan… with many pundits comparing our efforts to that of Vietnam. I can get into a prolonged debate with an assist from my father who served in the Vietnam theatre, but the comparison is not an apt one. And though the fight in the Afghan theatre is like Chinese water torture, we must maintain our resolve… prosecuting it to the fullest and it does not help matters that we are dealing with a Karzai regime that is tantamount to a ‘Kleptocracy.’

We were attacked from Afghanistan, losing some 3000 lives and therefore our response was warranted; should we give up because it is getting tough - our attitude is akin to our micro-wave culture of wanting everything now. This warp-speed need for results do not bode well for the American culture… because not every problem can be overcome by speed and convenience. I do not have a solution to defeat the Taliban, but all I know is that the Taliban are like bullies who do not relent unless they see similar resolve. Nobody wants to look like they are weak in the fight against terror and it does not look like those who believe in perverted jihad look like they are giving up -- look at the recent arrests here and abroad of would-be terrorists and their on-going plot to harm the West.

The problem that cannot be overcome is that those who are hell-bent in carrying out this malignant jihad cannot be enticed with any incentive in this life to abandon their way of thinking. As a traditional Christian, I have a unique understanding of the terrorist vis-a-vis their resolve because nothing can sway me (I hope in Christ Jesus) from being a Christian. Contrary to what you might have heard from the ACLU, we Christians are not into killing for the cause, not-with-standing the crusades. The only option we have is to defend ourselves with extreme prejudice – do I hear the buzzing of drones….

And those who say that bin Laden and the Taliban support are now coming from Pakistan are right… meaning that we must also be honest with the American people by telling them that our influence is limited in Pakistan because of its nuclear arsenal. The boys at the State Department (Secretary of State Clinton) and the foreign policy wonks must find new/effective ways to move the Pakistani government, even it means using India, Pakistan’s historical enemy, against the latter's interests. This would be akin to Kissinger’s masterful and deliberate policy of playing the Chinese against the then Soviet Union.

We can always use the trusted ‘carrot and stick’ approach to compel change in Pakistan, relative as it may be, but we must also be honest with the American people by telling them that our influence is limited in Pakistan because of her nuclear arsenal. This means that the boys at the State Department and the foreign policy wonks must find new, effective ways to move the Pakistani government away from playing footsies with Al qaeda and the Taliban - even it means playing India, Pakistan’s historical enemy, against her interests in the disputed Kashmir. In conclusion, I must reiterate that the prosecution of the war in Afghanistan is tough, but what does it say to our enemies that we do not have the resolve for a long fight… especially knowing that they have crept into America like the Greeks (Al qaeda) via the Trojan horse….