Clinton School student Latif Salem of Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, shares his thoughts on President Obama’s Tuesday night speech about the strategy for the War in Afghanistan:
After three months of consultation with congressional leaders and his advisors, last night President Obama eventually outlined his new strategy on Afghanistan. It was well-framed with modest objectives to help Americans understand that the war in Afghanistan is “a necessity not a choice.” He clearly underlined that the “status quo is not sustainable,” which is an undeniable fact. Afghanistan has a poorly trained and underequipped national army and police who have time and again failed to withstand against the well-equipped Taliban/Al-Qaeda forces. Therefore, deployment of more troops will be a quick fix to keep the Taliban from gaining further grounds and preserve the hard-won achievements in Afghanistan.
We are taking our baby-steps and will not become self-dependent without a continuous support from the United States. By the time we get the capacity to stand on our own feet, we need a robust footprint of the U.S./NATO presence in Afghanistan. I believe that failure in Afghanistan will inevitably inflict more devastating consequences not only on the Afghan people, but also imperils international security and stability. With that in mind, I consider the new troop surge as a good omen.
Prior to attending the Clinton School, Salem earned a master’s in peacebuilding and conflict transformation from Eastern Mennonite University while also studying international development at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Mich. He has worked for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN World Food Program as a monitoring and evaluation officer in Afghanistan for seven years.