The 8th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan

Wednesday marked eight years of a war that truly ushered in terrorism as a modern warfare tactic. The current mood of American society is hard to judge but it seems anything but fully supportive or happy.

In fact, America’s reaction seems to be a mixed bag.

Some have held vigils in opposition, like the local Kalamazoo organizations featured in the Western Herald recently. Some have also announced they are volunteering for deployment in Afghanistan.

Perhaps the most interesting response I have heard is that someone didn’t know enough about the war and thus didn’t know how to feel about it.

Is it right to protest the war out of what some say is uneducated and individualistic opposition and disagreement of the populous? Is it right to volunteer and enlist out of what some say is a false and blind sense of duty and pride?

It’s truly tough to say, but one thing is certain; Americans are still getting mixed signals on how to feel about the war in Afghanistan.

It seems not even presidents aren’t much help when looking for a feeling thermometer about the war.

Undoubtedly, former President George W. Bush is either loved or hated by Americans and President Barack Obama may well be on his way to achieving a similar place in the memories of citizens based on his planning and handling of Afghanistan.

Obama spoke Wednesday about how he is refocusing his strategy against terrorism by using a regional approach, focusing in particular on terrorists and extremists across the neighboring Pakistani border.

It looks like terrorism is a moving target for the United States, and it’s unlikely Obama will endorse a containment policy given its historical effectiveness on communism.

Some might argue that terrorism moved pretty far under Bush, thus the removal of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. While Pakistan has proved to be cooperative, though minimally effective, a dangerous situation could arise should the conflict spill west into Iran.

Who knows, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could be to Obama, what Hussein was to Bush. The two Middle Eastern leaders and possibly dictators sure play a good antagonist.

It’s not that far fetched of an idea. Look at how Obama has taken over the situation in Afghanistan. For a man who was elected partially on the popular belief he would end the war by withdrawal, like Vietnam, instead, troop levels have increased by thousands.

Obama also holds a similar view that Bush held; the war can be won. For the average American it seems tough to define what a win in Afghanistan would or could be, if at all.

While many have and some still do consider Obama America’s best hope for peace, he sure is getting used to the American gears of war.

-Jon Stonehouse, the managing editor for the Western Herald, is a senior majoring in both journalism and political science. He can be reached at jonstonehouse0252@yahoo.com

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=9618

Posted by heraldstaff on Oct 8 2009. Filed under Blogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

http://HeraldStaff