No easy way in Afghanistan

There is no easy solution to Afghanistan. It is that simple.

The country is based off a village system of government where there are local leaders running the show. Our troops in Iraq faced a semi-centralized government, so controlling the presence of terrorists was manageable. Afghanistan is a different country and therefore must be met with a different strategy.

By  announcing officially on Tuesday night at West Point that he is going to send 30,000 more troops overseas to Afghanistan, President Obama is causing debates about campaign promises and about public safety.

Yet, Al-Qaeda still exists in Afghanistan, a fact that the United States cannot ignore. As much as we don’t want to send more troops overseas, in this case we must. We can’t abandon the country now because that would only leave us open for more attacks from terrorists.

It would be reckless and inexcusable if the United States and our allies picked up and left town tomorrow. Not only would it be a sign of weakness for America to give up defending Afghanistan, it is a signal that it is OK for terrorists to completely run a country and to wage war against the United States.

Yes, it will cost the military more money to move our equipment and troops. Our deficit does not look like it is decreasing at all and after this addition, the military costs will push it up even higher.

But that is a step that is unavoidable. Consider this Obama’s necessary transition from one country to another.

Some call the move drastic and claim it goes against what he talked about in his presidential campaign. Wake up and smell the reality of the situation. There is a war in Afghanistan that is not going away and Obama is taking action. It is no surprise he is adding more troops to help combat Al-Qaeda.

He does not want an endless war. No one does. As he mentioned in his speech on Tuesday night, the addition will help us stop this war and soon, which is a good step.

We didn’t ask for this war. The terrorists asked for it when they decided to attack us on our own soil.

We need to react and take care of the problem at hand, which means sending more troops overseas. No one wants to see our soldiers get hurt overseas, yet we want to see peace in a war-torn land.

On the surface, this looks drastic and completely against any promise Obama made. But looking at it in relation to foreign policy, it is a necessary evil for the United States.