My empathy for Obama is strong, but I do think that he will look back on his decisions regarding Iraq and Afghanistan as terrible mistakes. Surely, I can empathize with the dilemma. We created a mess in Iraq and we have some responsibility to restore the nation with some sense of security. Afghanistan has never be conquered in memory. It is a losing proposition due to the nature of the tribal loyalty and the terrible geography.
But, first, Iraq. We are supposed to be clearing out of the cities soon. There does not seem to be much sense that security is being stabilized. When you cannot trust Iraqi military (police are another problem), you are facing a real problem. To think that Iraqi military directly kill a US soldier is terrible! There are problems with corruption in the various ministries. The Sunnis have not been reconciled with the majority Shiites. Governance of Kirkuk remains unresolved. Clearly, the Kurds remain outside the national order, i.e., the control their own territory exclusively. It does not sound like Iraq is ready for self-government. What a mess!
The situation in Afghanistan has got worse because of the turmoil in Pakistan. i know of no solid positive outcome secondary to our involvement. The influence of the warlords and Taliban, coupled with the drug trade and rampant corruption, results in disaster. I feel for Obama. There is no intervention that makes sense and, yet, I can understand the problem with walking away. What a mess!
I think that Iraq and Afghanistan represent a quagmire!
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