Considering that our election is tomorrow I thought it prudent to to look back on the past eight years and where exactly we are in respect to our standing in the world and where we have to go from here.
Since this is such a large task I am going to break into multiple parts by region of the world. I will also look to insert my insight into it. The 1st segment will be on the Middle East.
The Aftermath of 9/11 and Afghanistan
After the events of 9/11 we, as a nation were put in the position where we had to react. Since it was attack on our own soil unlike the embassy bombings in Africa or the USS Cole, it provided a game changer. A game changer, that resulted in our attacking Afghanistan.
The leadership President Bush took in the aftermath of 9/11 was superb. He saw what had happened and with the advice of his Cabinet decided to invade. Through the auspices of the the CIA, Special Forces, and the Northern Alliance we were able to readily defeat the Taliban and cause al Qaeda, at least at the beginning, a strategic defeat. Even though we were unable to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, there was damage done to their ability to launch attacks and gave a safe haven from which to attack us from.
Since 2002 though it has been a tough road in Afghanistan. An insurgency developed that was not handled well at first, and quickly lost attention when we invaded Iraq. Due to the Taliban having a safe haven in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan it also made it harder to aggressively attack them. Not much has been done in this regard until recently as well. This is not President Bush's fault per se. Due to a tense political atmosphere in Pakistan it has made acting aggressively much harder, and is amplified when the Taliban and al Qaeda have sympathizers in the ISI (Pakistani intelligence) and SSG (Pakistani special forces). So as can be seen the situation is anything but simple.
More forces need to be put into Afghanistan in the future, but the attack with Special Forces and Predator drones in recent months is a vast improvement.
Iraq
Even though the Iraq War has been questioned by some, I have always felt it was the right move. I think we should have gone further than we did in the 1991 Gulf War, and this was long overdue.
The war hasn't been perfect by any means. After defeating the Iraqi Army in 3 weeks, an insurgency started to emerge that we really didn't a grasp on until recently with the surge being enacted and General David Petraeus taking over in Iraq.
Between Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's inciting of violence between Sunnis and Shias, the threat of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, and the onslaught of violence that Iraqis were subjected to and that was broadcast on our televisions by the corrupt mainstream media, it would be easy for some, even the most ardent supporter to grow dispodent over the war. 2006 was especially bad year for the war. It was this low point though that inspired the surge.
The addition of 30,000 troops allowed us the space in which we could defeat al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and its allies and give the government officials the room they needed to reconcile. In addition to this the surge allowed such successes as the Anbar Awakening as well as the additional awakenings across the country, Mugtada al-Sadr's cease-fire in early 2007, as well as the Mahdi Army's defeat this spring.
Staying the course worked in Iraq. There was and is no other alternative. If we had left we would have left behind a failed state that would have, without a doubt, been allowed to be a base for al-Qaeda to launch attacks on noy only neighboring countries, but the United States and Europe as well. It was not an easy choice by any means. President Bush's approval ratings have dropped, and due to his policies th Democrats took both houses of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections. His committment though has been commendable.
Iran
Iran has been a mixed bag. While I think we sholud take a hard line with the Mullahs, the war in Iraq has constrained what we can do and say both in public and private. Even though Iran has been waging a proxy war against us through Shia miliitas in Iraq and even though we have taken action against the Quds Force, there is still only so much that can be done. It was correct to label the Quds Force as a terrorist organization as far as our war effort goes, although in trying to prevent them from obtaining a nuclear weapon we have had less luck. Even though they haven't obtained one as of yet, the fruitless diplomacy that we're engaging is is doing nothing but giving them time to eventually get one. Plus, while we negotiate Israel still lies in peril.
Realistically, I realize we do not have the resources to enter into open conflict with Iran, but at the same time I see this as leading to an inevitable conflict. I think our actions in Iraq regarding the Shias has largely stymied Iranian advances, but still practicing this strategy, I feel needs to be thought over by the next Presidet whoever it is, for Iran cannot be allowed to go unimpeded too much longer.
Overall, I feel President Bush has shown strength and conviction. I feel due to these atributes we will leave Iraq in victory. I feel his choice to put Gen. Petraeus in charge of CENTCOM will give the next president a leg up in finishing in Iraq and fighting in Afghanistan. I'd hope to see a stronger line taken with Iran in the next four years, but do not blame President Bush for this as much as I do the domestic circumsttances that prevented him from taking a tougher stance.
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