Afghan, Pakistani leaders praise new U.S. strategy

This may also help to stop the surge of the drug trade in both countries.

I am glad that we are now going to fight terrorist on their home turf. Maybe Iraq can get back to normal after this.

Ofcourse Afghan-Pak leaders will praise 'new' U.S. strategy because this 'New' = few battalions to Afghan (tobe recalled within few years) and a few Billion$ to Pak (annual aid) No more engagement in the region and Obama will focus on U.S. economy. So, 'new'= 'quit'. CHANGE within U.S. not outside its borders, was that his election moto?

"The reconciliation proposal is arguably the most novel part of the new plan, which is focused mostly on increasing the scale of ongoing initiatives—promising 4,000 additional troops to train the Afghan army, hundreds more civilian specialists to help Afghanistan rebuild and $1.5 billion in annual civilian aid to Pakistan for the next five years."

Dangle enough carrots in front of the horse and you can get it to do almost anything.

If the U.S. under the George W. Bush administration had not put the cart before the horse in its misguided, doomed-to-failure, preemptive war in Iraq, and concentrated its efforts against terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan the last several years, perhaps the situation would be much better at present.

As it is though, the U.S.-led effort in Afghanistan and Pakistan will ultimately end in failure, or history seems to say so.(How does the Obama administration define ultimate success in these countries? Don't tell me they borrowed from the peace, freedom and democracy chapter of the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld Iraq playbook.)

There is an eerie similarity to what is going on under the fledgling Obama administration with regard to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and our buildup in Vietnam under the guidance of Kennedy and the early part of Johnson's days as president. Only time will tell, I guess.

I think Obama has too much on his plate thus far in his presidency, but he is still a media darling during the honeymoon phase of his administration, so it's full speed ahead with this war, and hopefully not on the road to perdition.

The drug trade isn't going to stop. No matter how much we put into Afghanistan that won't change.

Now to the Taliban. I've been saying for years that until all the countries come together and take on the Taliban together will anything be done. I'm glad to see them talking together. < :-)

"Afghan, Pakistani leaders praise new U.S. strategy."

Change the GOP refuses to believe in.

"Moderate Taliban", LOL! Like addressing Nazism by looking for "moderate Nazis".

And of course Karzai and the Pakistani leaders welcome Obamas "plan" -- why should they say no to free cash, which will nicely line all sorts of pockets.

What insanity. When will we ever wake up?

WilliB: "What insanity. When will we ever wake up?"

When you get out of Iraq, for starters, where you never should have been to begin with. Then once you get back to what you started several years ago, and have more or less failed by the aforementioned detour into an unrelated country, we'll see where it goes from there. Hopefully it's not too late already.

I agree that Karzai agreeing or disagreeing really has no bearing on any kind of success. The man is a puppet and a tool, and one minute he's angry at the US and chiding them for this and that, and the next he's begging them to do something else.

"When you get out of Iraq, for starters, where you never should have been to begin with."

Getting out of Iraq is certainly a good idea, and yes the US ("we"? You man JT readers??) should not have toppled Saddam in the first place.

But whatever happens in Iraq (and bamas "plan" for getting out of Iraq is not substantially different from Bush´s, meaning that he too will remain stuck there) is irrelevant in this thread.

Obama is determined to continue to waste Western lives in Afghanistan for no reason at all, regardless. The only difference is that now all the Obamaites are suddenly pro-war. Will wonders never cease.

And whatever happens

smithinjapan: one minute he's angry at the US and chiding them for this and that, and the next he's begging them to do something else.

I don't really see how that's really different from any other country.

To Afghani civilians--don't forget to duck...here the USAnians go again. Fools.

Obama is determined to continue to waste Western lives in Afghanistan for no reason at all

It never ceases to amaze me how easily some forget what started this mess and why there we are in Afghanistan in the first place. Just because Bush forgot does not mean the mission in Afghanistan disappeared in his head. OBL is still at large, for starters.

SushiSake3 says:

Change the GOP refuses to believe in.

I disagree. Conservatives support President Obama's surge strategy in Afghanistan. After all, it has been working in Iraq.