“As you are well aware, I do not support the idea of endless war,” President Obama said on Thursday. What he should have said was, “I do not support endless war, but this war will never end, at least not under my authority.”
Obama announced he would no longer withdraw nearly all troops by the end of next year, but will instead leave 5,500 troops in Afghanistan to oversee gains from 14 years of war.
Although U.S. troops will not perform a combat role, they will still assist through counterterrorism measures and training of Afghan soldiers in Kabul.
This new plan runs contrary to Obama’s prior promise to have all troops, excluding a small embassy base, withdrawn by 2016. The president relegated the fierce conflict to his successor, catapulting war to the hot button issue of the week for the presidential debate.
Our president touts great success in Afghanistan, but this notion is dubious as we near the end of our 14th year at war. The U.S. has lost 4,425 troops at the expense of another nation, with 32,223 soldiers wounded in action.
At the democratic presidential debate on Wednesday, candidate Martin O’Malley quoted John Quincy Adams, “America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy.” We fought our neighbors’ battles for too long, and we have lost too many lives, not to mention the nearly $15 billion cost per year.
The president’s decision to propel a “modest but meaningful extension of our presence” into Afghanistan will cost $5 billion — $5 billion that could be spent solving U.S. citizens’ problems.
On the 2012 campaign trail, Obama said, “You know I say what I mean and mean what I say. I said I’d end the war in Iraq. I ended the war in Iraq.”
But the war is not over. Obama will pass the conflicts to the next president, allowing him to get off scot-free and clear of any blame. Former President George W. Bush began the war on false premises, but Obama is extending the war into a fifth presidency.
Despite the tragic loss of thousands of U.S. lives, the war had a devastating effect on our economy, facilitating one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression in 1929.
Withdrawing troops isn’t as simple as it seems, but the magnitude of this decision can’t be ignored. Americans already lack trust in government and Obama’s broken promise only furthers the deceitful and divisive nature of politics.
The greater issue is whether the U.S. can’t leave or simply won’t. It is not the United States’ job to nurse the wounds of war-torn countries. Our founders fought for our freedom and independence from other nations, yet we continuously chain ourselves to others on the premises of power and military obligation.
Obama is leaving office with a tarnished reputation, a desolate political institution and a 14-year war looming for at least two more years. The most important concern is self-defense, which could be handled by increasing counterterrorism mechanisms at home.
Will the war end by 2017? Will a new president bring about the change they so ardently contend? Only time will tell, and we’ve been lied to before by presidential hopefuls. From my perspective, the future’s looking bleak.
Mariah Manuel is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Lake Charles, Louisiana. You can reach her on Twitter @mariah_manuel.