Thursday, July 15, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Axelrod: Defending the President
Dr. Axelrod has been such an effective defender of President Obama's record as the chief executive of the States, that one wishes to get a hold of the behind-the-scenes meetings with advisers that go into the policy-making mix, before the President adopts policies and the tactics on how to sell those policies.
The administration does have an impressive record, when it comes to legislative triumphs on such long-standing issues as health insurance reform, but the economy is still having a difficult time recovering. Furthermore, unemployment continues to be high. Meanwhile, the public and politicians have been prematurely put into a situation of stimulus-fatigue, by all of the rhetoric about excessive government spending during a deep recession.
What can be done? I think the president and his advisers should take advantage of the interconnection between domestic and foreign policies, by making a dramatic move, to speed up the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan. There are a host of reasons that could be given for that, including reducing the footprint of conventional forces, in order to fight "a smarter war" against a dwindling corp of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
Each dollar of savings from such a move, should then be delegated to help Main Street, by buying up most of the homes that are now in foreclosure or pre-foreclosure, and reselling them to home-owners through Fannie Mae, with a reevaluated principal and fixed interest rates at current market levels.
That will change the topic on the economic front, from doldrums all around to optimism among medium and small business owners. That coupled with the legislative successes of the president and Congress so far, should re-energize the grassroots and reduce Democratic losses in the Mid-term elections.
I thank you.
Fubara David-West
Sun Jul 11, 12:17 pm ET
Axelrod tries to fend off WH critics from all sides
By Rachel Rose Hartman
Share
retweet
Email
Print
By Rachel Rose Hartman rachel Rose Hartman – Sun Jul 11, 12:17 pm ET
The Obama Administration put presidential advisor David Axelrod on the talk show circuit Sunday. In each appearance, he was peppered with questions about White House critics. With a stagnant job growth, stymied legislation and sinking poll numbers, Axelrod certainly had his share of complaints to address.
Let's review:
Sinking approval from independent voters? Axelrod conceded on ABC's This Week that "difficult times" create a "difficult election" environment for the president, but said the administration' s focus remains on how to fix the labor market and the country. "Our job is to worry about how we get people back to work, how we move this country forward, and if—if we do our job, the rest will take care of itself," Axelrod said, adding that the presidential election "is an eternity away."
The administration does have an impressive record, when it comes to legislative triumphs on such long-standing issues as health insurance reform, but the economy is still having a difficult time recovering. Furthermore, unemployment continues to be high. Meanwhile, the public and politicians have been prematurely put into a situation of stimulus-fatigue, by all of the rhetoric about excessive government spending during a deep recession.
What can be done? I think the president and his advisers should take advantage of the interconnection between domestic and foreign policies, by making a dramatic move, to speed up the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan. There are a host of reasons that could be given for that, including reducing the footprint of conventional forces, in order to fight "a smarter war" against a dwindling corp of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
Each dollar of savings from such a move, should then be delegated to help Main Street, by buying up most of the homes that are now in foreclosure or pre-foreclosure, and reselling them to home-owners through Fannie Mae, with a reevaluated principal and fixed interest rates at current market levels.
That will change the topic on the economic front, from doldrums all around to optimism among medium and small business owners. That coupled with the legislative successes of the president and Congress so far, should re-energize the grassroots and reduce Democratic losses in the Mid-term elections.
I thank you.
Fubara David-West
Sun Jul 11, 12:17 pm ET
Axelrod tries to fend off WH critics from all sides
By Rachel Rose Hartman
Share
retweet
By Rachel Rose Hartman rachel Rose Hartman – Sun Jul 11, 12:17 pm ET
The Obama Administration put presidential advisor David Axelrod on the talk show circuit Sunday. In each appearance, he was peppered with questions about White House critics. With a stagnant job growth, stymied legislation and sinking poll numbers, Axelrod certainly had his share of complaints to address.
Let's review:
Sinking approval from independent voters? Axelrod conceded on ABC's This Week that "difficult times" create a "difficult election" environment for the president, but said the administration' s focus remains on how to fix the labor market and the country. "Our job is to worry about how we get people back to work, how we move this country forward, and if—if we do our job, the rest will take care of itself," Axelrod said, adding that the presidential election "is an eternity away."
Saturday, June 5, 2010
On Israeli use of force and the Xtian Taliban
Re: [NIgerianWorldForum] GOOOOD... OBAMA: US WILL STAND WITH ISRAEL
Saturday, June 5, 2010 9:48 AM
From:
"Fubara David-West"Add sender to Contacts
Onward Christian Soldiers! Religion can truly make an ass of human beings. Thus, in the name of religion, some Muslims will blow themselves up to make a political point. In a similar vein, for religious loyalties, many Christians, even from places like Africa will hail the outrageous actions of Israel, both in the Palestinian territories, and on the high seas, to enforce an inhuman blockade, that seeks to collectively punish the Palestinians in the name of Israeli security.
One could imagine these Christians being absolutely sympathetic with an Israeli version of the insane Adolf Hitler, if he was today gassing Palestinians to death in the name of security. Many of these Christians, especially from Africa, where superstition still reigns will today be hailing such a Hitler as a tool of the Almighty God, in bringing about the ancient prophecies, with regard to his promise to Abraham. In that regard, William Blake's words regarding evil and divine creation, might be the only compelling wisdom, when it comes to making sense of the senseless.
Of course, the United States will stand with Israel, because that is the way politics is played in the United States, where the Jewish lobby and zany Christian movements, could be expected to make a lot of noise, spend a lot of political capital to paint an American president, who does not follow the orthodoxy, which says that what is good for the Jewish state is good for the United States, as a lover of Arab terrorists, or an anti-Christian ideologue, betraying the American national interest, as they imagine it in their twisted understanding of history and high politics.
The interesting thing is that in considering the geo-political implications of these matters, one could at least have some respect for the Christian soldiers in the United States, who might be called the Christian Taliban, in their penchant for the inhumane, when it comes to the treatment of the Palestinians by the Jewish state. The Africans present a great puzzle, because theirs is a mindless loyalty, borne out of what we might call cultural imperialism, nothing more; and these Africans bask in its glorious hell.
I thank you.
Fubara David-West.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 9:48 AM
From:
"Fubara David-West"
Onward Christian Soldiers! Religion can truly make an ass of human beings. Thus, in the name of religion, some Muslims will blow themselves up to make a political point. In a similar vein, for religious loyalties, many Christians, even from places like Africa will hail the outrageous actions of Israel, both in the Palestinian territories, and on the high seas, to enforce an inhuman blockade, that seeks to collectively punish the Palestinians in the name of Israeli security.
One could imagine these Christians being absolutely sympathetic with an Israeli version of the insane Adolf Hitler, if he was today gassing Palestinians to death in the name of security. Many of these Christians, especially from Africa, where superstition still reigns will today be hailing such a Hitler as a tool of the Almighty God, in bringing about the ancient prophecies, with regard to his promise to Abraham. In that regard, William Blake's words regarding evil and divine creation, might be the only compelling wisdom, when it comes to making sense of the senseless.
Of course, the United States will stand with Israel, because that is the way politics is played in the United States, where the Jewish lobby and zany Christian movements, could be expected to make a lot of noise, spend a lot of political capital to paint an American president, who does not follow the orthodoxy, which says that what is good for the Jewish state is good for the United States, as a lover of Arab terrorists, or an anti-Christian ideologue, betraying the American national interest, as they imagine it in their twisted understanding of history and high politics.
The interesting thing is that in considering the geo-political implications of these matters, one could at least have some respect for the Christian soldiers in the United States, who might be called the Christian Taliban, in their penchant for the inhumane, when it comes to the treatment of the Palestinians by the Jewish state. The Africans present a great puzzle, because theirs is a mindless loyalty, borne out of what we might call cultural imperialism, nothing more; and these Africans bask in its glorious hell.
I thank you.
Fubara David-West.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Health Insurance Reform: The Democratic Win in Perspective
By Fubara David-West
President Obama and the Democrats were the big winners yesterday, as they finally heard the message from the vote of the last elections: lead! If the president had learned the lesson from that message, in the first few months of his presidency, he would have realized from the word go, that it was a huge mistake, to basically give the Republicans a veto over his most important domestic policy initiative.
His willingness to lobby hard for bipartisanship, after the electorate handed the presidency, the House and the Senate to Democrats, merely convinced his political opponents that he was weak; and once they arrived at such an estimation, there was really no compelling reason for them to cooperate with him, in order to make his presidency successful.
The final act that got the Democrats over the finish-line: a parliamentary maneuver that avoided the vise of the super majority rule in the Senate was always available, but it was left untouched until the frigid intransigence of the Republicans, who were acting like victims of groupthink, made it crystal clear that they were not opposing health care reform because of any deep-seated philosophical issue. Theirs was a simple mission of burying the presidency of a man whom they considered to be weak. By the final act, which guaranteed this victory, President Obama showed the Republicans that their estimation of him was quite mistaken.
The Republicans have now been placed in a situation where they have to rethink their strategies. They were too quick to imagine that they could easily dust themselves off from their resounding defeat at the polls in November 2008. It is not yet good morning in the Republican Party.
I thank you.
Fubara David-West.
__._,_.___
Reply to sender Reply to group Reply via web post Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1)
By Fubara David-West
President Obama and the Democrats were the big winners yesterday, as they finally heard the message from the vote of the last elections: lead! If the president had learned the lesson from that message, in the first few months of his presidency, he would have realized from the word go, that it was a huge mistake, to basically give the Republicans a veto over his most important domestic policy initiative.
His willingness to lobby hard for bipartisanship, after the electorate handed the presidency, the House and the Senate to Democrats, merely convinced his political opponents that he was weak; and once they arrived at such an estimation, there was really no compelling reason for them to cooperate with him, in order to make his presidency successful.
The final act that got the Democrats over the finish-line: a parliamentary maneuver that avoided the vise of the super majority rule in the Senate was always available, but it was left untouched until the frigid intransigence of the Republicans, who were acting like victims of groupthink, made it crystal clear that they were not opposing health care reform because of any deep-seated philosophical issue. Theirs was a simple mission of burying the presidency of a man whom they considered to be weak. By the final act, which guaranteed this victory, President Obama showed the Republicans that their estimation of him was quite mistaken.
The Republicans have now been placed in a situation where they have to rethink their strategies. They were too quick to imagine that they could easily dust themselves off from their resounding defeat at the polls in November 2008. It is not yet good morning in the Republican Party.
I thank you.
Fubara David-West.
__._,_.___
Reply to sender Reply to group Reply via web post Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1)
Friday, February 5, 2010
Haiti: Obama must stop the political correctness
The fact that Haiti is charging these Americans with a serious criminal offense, is an outrage. The Obama administration should have seen that from the very beginning, and demanded the immediate release of the Americans to the US forces, and diplomatic representatives onshore and offshore. The Obama administration must know when to use American power, instead of treating these kinds of events with the kid gloves of political correctness.
The fact is that the authorities in Haiti are in no position to dispense justice in this case, considering the total devastation of the country, following the earthquake: a devastation which has elicited the sympathy and the charity of many international organizations, and people from across the globe. Neither the relief agencies, the people pouring in to help, nor the Haitian government is currently operating in a normal environment. Some miscalculations, missteps, errors in judgment, misapplication of administrative assets are inevitable.
The Haitian government demonstrates a profound lack of appreciation of the level of the ruin all around the country, and even more importantly, of the great international assistance it will need to rebuild the country, when it parades these Americans as criminals, who presumably went into Haiti as traffickers in Haitian kids. President Obama must instruct the Secretary of State to demand an immediate end to this perilous drama.
Fubara David-West.
Haiti ambassador: 'compassion' for American missionaries charged with kidnapping
The Haitian government on Thursday charged 10 American missionaries with abduction. Haiti's ambassador to the US promised "compassion" and said the case shows the world that the government will continue to enforce the rule of law.
Four of 10 Americans who were arrested while trying to bus children out of Haiti without proper documents or government permission, arrive to court inside a Haitian police truck in Port-au-Prince, Thursday.
Rodrigo Abd / APEnlarge Photos (1 of 2)
Print
Buzz up!
Permissions
Email and share
RSS
By Stephen Kurczy Correspondent / February 4, 2010
Boston
The 10 American missionaries who attempted to sneak 33 children out of Haiti last Saturday were charged today with kidnapping.Skip to next paragraph
Recent posts
02.04.10The global odds of a shark attack? You're more likely to eat one than be eaten
02.04.10Haiti ambassador: 'compassion' for 10 American missionaries
02.03.10French citizenship denied to man with veiled wife
02.03.10Angola oil pipeline attacked – by swordfish?
02.03.10Turkey looks to capitalize on its 'Beijing 2008 moment'
Related Stories
Haiti 'orphan' rescue mission: Adoption or child trafficking?
Haiti: Americans accused of child trafficking could be tried in US
Haitian Ambassador Raymond Joseph says the charges signal that anarchy will not prevail, despite the earthquake’s destruction of most government buildings in Port-au-Prince.
“By this action, I think the Haitian government is sending a clear message to the world that there is a government in place, and that nobody can just take it upon himself or herself to come and do in Haitii whatever they think is good,” Mr. Joseph said by telephone Thursday from Washington, D.C.
The Baptist missionaries from Idaho and Kansas were brought Thursday before a judge who found sufficient evidence to charge them with abduction and criminal conspiracy. Those crimes can carry prison terms of up to 15 years.
The stated purpose of the New Life Children's Refuge group's “Haitian Orphan Rescue Mission” was to “rescue Haitian orphans.” But it came out that most of the 33 children had families and many of their parents had willingly given the children to the missionaries.
The BBC offers this video of the missionaries being whisked into the courtroom.
“We can say these people were acting in the best interests of Haiti’s children, but you must agree that what has happened is really out of the ordinary and it is illegal,” says Joseph. But he added that their motives will be taken into account during the upcoming trial and judgment.
“I am quite sure they’ll take into consideration the character of the people ... and perhaps show some compassion down the road,” he says.
It was unclear Thursday when or where the actual trial would take place. Prime Minister Max Bellerive said Monday that Haiti is open to having the American Baptist group tried in US courts, given the impact of the Jan. 12 earthquake on government institutions.
Christian groups, who have provided substantial aid to Haiti since the Jan. 12 earthquake struck, say they will continue to support the country despite the arrests.
Shortly before the court hearing, Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition met with Joseph in Washington.
“The heart of the meeting was coming to try to secure the release of the 10 missionaries who are being detained in Haiti,” says Mahoney, a Presbyterian pastor and activist from Virginia who personally knows several of the arrested Americans and works with their church in Idaho.
“I went as an advocate, saying I know what these people are like, I know who they are, and, even though mistakes were made, it’s important to know they are not child traffickers.”
Now, Mahoney says he is more disappointed in the White House than in Haiti’s officials.
“When you have Haiti’s prime minister referring to caring Christians as kidnappers, and no response from our administration about that, it’s deeply troubling.”
Joseph said he has not spoken with the White House regarding the missionaries’ arrest, but it will not become a sore point between the two countries.
“I don’t see why this should cause any friction,” he says. “I’ve talked with some people off of the record and most agree that this was uncalled for, the way [the missionaries] did it.”
Joseph said the missionaries are being held in a makeshift jail. He said they were being cared for and well fed.
In a similar case, 16 Europeans from a France-based group called Zoe's Ark were charged in 2007 with trying to smuggle 103 children out of Africa. While they were convicted and sentenced to eight years of hard labor, Chad's president pardoned the group.
Joseph said he was familiar with the case, but that it did not necessarily provide a precedent for the current one.
Print
Buzz up!
Permissions
Email and share
RSS
Subscribe
__._,_.___
Reply to sender Reply to group Messages in this topic (1)
Recent Activity:
Visit Your Group Start a New Topic
--Get on TheBlackList:Homepage: http://www.theblacklist.netArchives: https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/theblacklistand http://www.topica.com/lists/readEVENTS: http://www.topica.com/lists/BW-Events/readFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10169031282TheBlackList - for the CAUSE that needs assistance for the future now.--
MARKETPLACE
Going Green: Your Yahoo! Groups resource for green living
Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use
.
The fact is that the authorities in Haiti are in no position to dispense justice in this case, considering the total devastation of the country, following the earthquake: a devastation which has elicited the sympathy and the charity of many international organizations, and people from across the globe. Neither the relief agencies, the people pouring in to help, nor the Haitian government is currently operating in a normal environment. Some miscalculations, missteps, errors in judgment, misapplication of administrative assets are inevitable.
The Haitian government demonstrates a profound lack of appreciation of the level of the ruin all around the country, and even more importantly, of the great international assistance it will need to rebuild the country, when it parades these Americans as criminals, who presumably went into Haiti as traffickers in Haitian kids. President Obama must instruct the Secretary of State to demand an immediate end to this perilous drama.
Fubara David-West.
Haiti ambassador: 'compassion' for American missionaries charged with kidnapping
The Haitian government on Thursday charged 10 American missionaries with abduction. Haiti's ambassador to the US promised "compassion" and said the case shows the world that the government will continue to enforce the rule of law.
Four of 10 Americans who were arrested while trying to bus children out of Haiti without proper documents or government permission, arrive to court inside a Haitian police truck in Port-au-Prince, Thursday.
Rodrigo Abd / APEnlarge Photos (1 of 2)
Buzz up!
Permissions
Email and share
RSS
By Stephen Kurczy Correspondent / February 4, 2010
Boston
The 10 American missionaries who attempted to sneak 33 children out of Haiti last Saturday were charged today with kidnapping.Skip to next paragraph
Recent posts
02.04.10The global odds of a shark attack? You're more likely to eat one than be eaten
02.04.10Haiti ambassador: 'compassion' for 10 American missionaries
02.03.10French citizenship denied to man with veiled wife
02.03.10Angola oil pipeline attacked – by swordfish?
02.03.10Turkey looks to capitalize on its 'Beijing 2008 moment'
Related Stories
Haiti 'orphan' rescue mission: Adoption or child trafficking?
Haiti: Americans accused of child trafficking could be tried in US
Haitian Ambassador Raymond Joseph says the charges signal that anarchy will not prevail, despite the earthquake’s destruction of most government buildings in Port-au-Prince.
“By this action, I think the Haitian government is sending a clear message to the world that there is a government in place, and that nobody can just take it upon himself or herself to come and do in Haitii whatever they think is good,” Mr. Joseph said by telephone Thursday from Washington, D.C.
The Baptist missionaries from Idaho and Kansas were brought Thursday before a judge who found sufficient evidence to charge them with abduction and criminal conspiracy. Those crimes can carry prison terms of up to 15 years.
The stated purpose of the New Life Children's Refuge group's “Haitian Orphan Rescue Mission” was to “rescue Haitian orphans.” But it came out that most of the 33 children had families and many of their parents had willingly given the children to the missionaries.
The BBC offers this video of the missionaries being whisked into the courtroom.
“We can say these people were acting in the best interests of Haiti’s children, but you must agree that what has happened is really out of the ordinary and it is illegal,” says Joseph. But he added that their motives will be taken into account during the upcoming trial and judgment.
“I am quite sure they’ll take into consideration the character of the people ... and perhaps show some compassion down the road,” he says.
It was unclear Thursday when or where the actual trial would take place. Prime Minister Max Bellerive said Monday that Haiti is open to having the American Baptist group tried in US courts, given the impact of the Jan. 12 earthquake on government institutions.
Christian groups, who have provided substantial aid to Haiti since the Jan. 12 earthquake struck, say they will continue to support the country despite the arrests.
Shortly before the court hearing, Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition met with Joseph in Washington.
“The heart of the meeting was coming to try to secure the release of the 10 missionaries who are being detained in Haiti,” says Mahoney, a Presbyterian pastor and activist from Virginia who personally knows several of the arrested Americans and works with their church in Idaho.
“I went as an advocate, saying I know what these people are like, I know who they are, and, even though mistakes were made, it’s important to know they are not child traffickers.”
Now, Mahoney says he is more disappointed in the White House than in Haiti’s officials.
“When you have Haiti’s prime minister referring to caring Christians as kidnappers, and no response from our administration about that, it’s deeply troubling.”
Joseph said he has not spoken with the White House regarding the missionaries’ arrest, but it will not become a sore point between the two countries.
“I don’t see why this should cause any friction,” he says. “I’ve talked with some people off of the record and most agree that this was uncalled for, the way [the missionaries] did it.”
Joseph said the missionaries are being held in a makeshift jail. He said they were being cared for and well fed.
In a similar case, 16 Europeans from a France-based group called Zoe's Ark were charged in 2007 with trying to smuggle 103 children out of Africa. While they were convicted and sentenced to eight years of hard labor, Chad's president pardoned the group.
Joseph said he was familiar with the case, but that it did not necessarily provide a precedent for the current one.
Buzz up!
Permissions
Email and share
RSS
Subscribe
__._,_.___
Reply to sender Reply to group Messages in this topic (1)
Recent Activity:
Visit Your Group Start a New Topic
--Get on TheBlackList:Homepage: http://www.theblacklist.netArchives: https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/theblacklistand http://www.topica.com/lists/readEVENTS: http://www.topica.com/lists/BW-Events/readFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10169031282TheBlackList - for the CAUSE that needs assistance for the future now.--
MARKETPLACE
Going Green: Your Yahoo! Groups resource for green living
Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use
.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Nigerian NBC Stops Bakare's Broadcast
NBC STOPS BAKARE'S BROADCAST
Monday, January 18, 2010 9:15 AM
This is one reason why the Federal monopoly over the use of the airwaves must be discontinued. Private enterprises must be able to set up their television and radio stations to compete with the NBC. The freedom of speech and of the press in Nigeria will not be fully realized, as long as this monopoly stays in place. Those who are thinking about amending the constitution should take a note of this matter.
Nigerians should also bear in mind that keeping these kinds of anachronistic monopolies alive and kicking, is highly inimical to developing a thriving economy in the digital world. What about China? One might ask. The answer is that China is a special case, which cannot possibly be the standard for Nigeria.
China is showing that a communist state could also have a thriving market, but we have not yet come to the crossroads, when the teeming population of Chinese youth, which is very comfortable with the digital world and the global village, begin to take full charge. One can imagine a popular view in China that Karl Marx and Adam Smith are complementary, in the socio-economic universe, and that individual freedom is indivisible.
Fubara David-West.
Monday, January 18, 2010 9:15 AM
This is one reason why the Federal monopoly over the use of the airwaves must be discontinued. Private enterprises must be able to set up their television and radio stations to compete with the NBC. The freedom of speech and of the press in Nigeria will not be fully realized, as long as this monopoly stays in place. Those who are thinking about amending the constitution should take a note of this matter.
Nigerians should also bear in mind that keeping these kinds of anachronistic monopolies alive and kicking, is highly inimical to developing a thriving economy in the digital world. What about China? One might ask. The answer is that China is a special case, which cannot possibly be the standard for Nigeria.
China is showing that a communist state could also have a thriving market, but we have not yet come to the crossroads, when the teeming population of Chinese youth, which is very comfortable with the digital world and the global village, begin to take full charge. One can imagine a popular view in China that Karl Marx and Adam Smith are complementary, in the socio-economic universe, and that individual freedom is indivisible.
Fubara David-West.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
President Obama: Nobel Peace Prize and Afghanistan
President Obama: Nobel Peace Prize and Afghanistan
By Fubara David-West
President Obama was the pride of his nation and the world, as he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. His speech showed both his humility and his thoughtful approach to leadership, by refusing to ignore the controversy swirling around this particular award, which became even more pronounced, following his decision to introduce more troops into Afghanistan.
That decision will define the president's stewardship in the arena of national security, especially with regard to the multilateral uses of force on the international stage. The president's actions from this point on will be crucial. Meanwhile, he should find a way to de-emphasize this notion about the United States being at war on two fronts.
That will help steer him away from sounding increasingly like President George Bush, whose notions about the so-called global war on terror was unmistakeably repudiated, just a year ago. This will be difficult to do. Why? The president has to contend with the influence of the defense department, on matters such as this. He also has to be mindful of the fact that there are many in the Republican Party, who are looking for any movement away from their beloved president Bush's misguided "war," to highlight as evidence, that President Obama is weak on national security.
There is also the increasingly desperate President of Afghanistan, Mr. Karzai, who seems to recognize the potential problems that President Obama faces. That must be the explanation of the Afghan president's intimation, during the recent trip to Afghanistan by defense secretary Gates, that his country would need American and NATO forces for up to 30 years. The reaction of the United States to that, should be to the effect that in that case, Afghanistan has both the wrong man, and a supporting administrative cast in place.
Sometime during his second year in office, President Obama should become less enamored with the badge of war-time president, which his speech-writers continue to add in different guises into his speeches. Every military action is not a war. The campaign against Al Qaida and the Taliban is not a conventional war, even though some of its objectives cannot be met without the use of conventional forces. Furthermore, when actions such as the use of drones in Pakistani territory, and possible actions against elements of the Al Qaida network in places like Somalia are taken, we are not going to say that the United States is at war with either Somalia or Pakistan.
The fact that a significant element of the Afghan program involves training Afghans, to take over responsibilities for the security of their country, is also an important distinguishing element. The pressure being put on the Afghan government to fight corruption, as a way to make the government more of an efficient manager of the allocation of resources to its population is another.
Indeed, the more president and his national security team moves away from conceptualizing this military-political campaign as a conventional war, the easier it will become to focus on the essential elements of the campaign. That will make it more likely, that the anticipated draw-down of American military deployment in Afghanistan will become a reality. It will also make it possible to stick to a limited mission, for which the definition of success is ultimately possible.
I thank you.
Fubara David-West.
By Fubara David-West
President Obama was the pride of his nation and the world, as he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. His speech showed both his humility and his thoughtful approach to leadership, by refusing to ignore the controversy swirling around this particular award, which became even more pronounced, following his decision to introduce more troops into Afghanistan.
That decision will define the president's stewardship in the arena of national security, especially with regard to the multilateral uses of force on the international stage. The president's actions from this point on will be crucial. Meanwhile, he should find a way to de-emphasize this notion about the United States being at war on two fronts.
That will help steer him away from sounding increasingly like President George Bush, whose notions about the so-called global war on terror was unmistakeably repudiated, just a year ago. This will be difficult to do. Why? The president has to contend with the influence of the defense department, on matters such as this. He also has to be mindful of the fact that there are many in the Republican Party, who are looking for any movement away from their beloved president Bush's misguided "war," to highlight as evidence, that President Obama is weak on national security.
There is also the increasingly desperate President of Afghanistan, Mr. Karzai, who seems to recognize the potential problems that President Obama faces. That must be the explanation of the Afghan president's intimation, during the recent trip to Afghanistan by defense secretary Gates, that his country would need American and NATO forces for up to 30 years. The reaction of the United States to that, should be to the effect that in that case, Afghanistan has both the wrong man, and a supporting administrative cast in place.
Sometime during his second year in office, President Obama should become less enamored with the badge of war-time president, which his speech-writers continue to add in different guises into his speeches. Every military action is not a war. The campaign against Al Qaida and the Taliban is not a conventional war, even though some of its objectives cannot be met without the use of conventional forces. Furthermore, when actions such as the use of drones in Pakistani territory, and possible actions against elements of the Al Qaida network in places like Somalia are taken, we are not going to say that the United States is at war with either Somalia or Pakistan.
The fact that a significant element of the Afghan program involves training Afghans, to take over responsibilities for the security of their country, is also an important distinguishing element. The pressure being put on the Afghan government to fight corruption, as a way to make the government more of an efficient manager of the allocation of resources to its population is another.
Indeed, the more president and his national security team moves away from conceptualizing this military-political campaign as a conventional war, the easier it will become to focus on the essential elements of the campaign. That will make it more likely, that the anticipated draw-down of American military deployment in Afghanistan will become a reality. It will also make it possible to stick to a limited mission, for which the definition of success is ultimately possible.
I thank you.
Fubara David-West.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)