US President Barack Obama was accused, notably by former US vice president Dick Cheney, of “dithering” over the decision to send additional troops to Afghanistan.
Taking time to come to a decision on the next step his country will take in Afghanistan might be regarded as indecisiveness on Obama’s part, but it is not a decision that can, or should, be taken lightly.
The US president needs time to reflect on how to deal with this war-ravaged country and extricate US troops from their deep involvement there without losing face. The fate of so many people is, after all, in his hands, and unlike the previous US administration, he does not seem in a hurry to sow death and destruction.
Not pondering over the next to US move, especially now that Hamid Karzai has been reluctantly accepted at the helm of the country, would be irresponsible indeed. Washington needed a reliable, legitimate leader to deal with before taking the decision to boost its military strength in the country; Karzai was crowned leader, in the absence of any better, but at least one positive outcome from all the bickering in the country is his change of tune, calling for a broadly based government made up of all parties, including the Taliban.
Karzai also pledged to combat government corruption and to put things in order in Kabul.
Given the undisputed fact that the war in Afghanistan cannot be won without a legitimate and credible government that takes the interests of all the people into full consideration, it could be that the stage is now set for new ground rules that may end the US hesitation and see it make a more decisive move.
So far, the Taliban have rejected all Kabul overtures for reconciliation. Perhaps their leadership interpreted the US’ and its allies’ hesitation about sending more soldiers into the country as a sign of indecisiveness. A firm move on their part might, then, have a positive outcome for Afghanistan.
On balance, however, the US and its NATO allies are in this quagmire for the long haul, and there are really no easy answers. That could explain the dithering, but it will not justify it for too long.
