Will Afghanistan 'break' Obama?
The president is cautiously optimistic about progress in the war, but the public increasingly wants out
On Thursday, President Obama delivered a mostly upbeat assessment of war progress in Afghanistan, declaring that U.S. and allied forces had stopped the Taliban's momentum. "We are on track to achieve our goals," Obama said, summing up his administration's latest review. Tough combat is expected to continue for years, so if Obama starts bringing troops home next summer as promised, he'll likely start with modest numbers. Still, with a record 60 percent of Americans now saying the war in Afghanistan has not been worth fighting, pressing on could prove politically costly. Will the war be Obama's undoing? (Watch Obama discuss "significant progress" in the war)
Yes, Afghanistan could be Obama's downfall: "Barack Obama puts a brave face on it," says Simon Tisdall in The Guardian. But if he "allows his generals to drag their feet, and the casualties keep mounting," he risks losing the left. If he lets next summer's limited withdrawal turn into a rush to get out, "Republicans whose votes have sustained Obama will desert him." Either way there's a real danger that the war will spark a "political meltdown" that will "break" Obama's presidency.
"Will the Afghanistan war break Obama's presidency?"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
No. We can win this fight: Everybody's getting "combat fatigue," says Bruce Riedel in The Daily Beast. The war is now the longest in U.S. history, and casualties are rising. But we've taken back the momentum from the Taliban, and our drones have al Qaeda on the run. Obama's strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan has brought us back from "the precipice of defeat and strategic disaster," so while he's "right to be modest" he's "also right to stay on course."
"The Afghan strategy is working"
A good strategy might not be good enough: "Taliban leaders surely know that North Vietnam won the Vietnam War not in Vietnam but in America," says George Will in The Washington Post. North Vietnam's Tet Offensive turned the American public "decisively" against that war; if the Taliban manage a similar "spike in violence," they might accomplish something "comparable." Obama is not letting such "political calculations" come before national security. But "this presidential virtue could imperil his presidency."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Where does it stop?'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why do Russian oil bosses keep dying?
Under the Radar There have been 'at least 50' mysterious deaths of energy company executives since Putin ordered Ukraine invasion
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The insides and outsides of Helsinki's energetic art scene
The Week Recommends Finland's capital has an admirable mix of street art and museums
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published