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Afghanistan assessment, a catalyst for Obama.


Byline: ANI

Washington, Sep.22 (ANI): The 66-page assessment report provided to U.S. President Barack Obama by his top military commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley A. McChrystal could be read in two possible ways.

Firstly, he could read it as a blunt and impassioned last-chance plea for a revamped counterinsurgency coun·ter·in·sur·gen·cy  
n.
Political and military strategy or action intended to oppose and forcefully suppress insurgency.



coun
 strategy bolstered by thousands more combat troops to rescue the beleaguered be·lea·guer  
tr.v. be·lea·guered, be·lea·guer·ing, be·lea·guers
1. To harass; beset: We are beleaguered by problems.

2. To surround with troops; besiege.
, eight-year mission, or secondly, he could read it as a searing sear 1  
v. seared, sear·ing, sears

v.tr.
1. To char, scorch, or burn the surface of with or as if with a hot instrument. See Synonyms at burn1.

2.
 indictment of American-led NATO NATO: see North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
NATO
 in full North Atlantic Treaty Organization

International military alliance created to defend western Europe against a possible Soviet invasion.
 military operations This is a list of missions, operations, and projects. Missions in support of other missions are not listed independently. World War I
''See also List of military engagements of World War I
  • Albion (1917)
 and a corrupt Afghan civilian government, pitted against a surprisingly adaptive and increasingly dangerous insurgency.

Either way, the report is serving to catalyze the thinking of a president - who is keenly aware of the historical perils of a protracted pro·tract  
tr.v. pro·tract·ed, pro·tract·ing, pro·tracts
1. To draw out or lengthen in time; prolong: disputants who needlessly protracted the negotiations.

2.
, faraway war - about what he can realistically accomplish in this conflict.

Obama faces a deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, growing opposition to the war at home from Democrats and a desire to put off any major troop decision while he still needs much political capital to pass major health care legislation in Congress.

He is also grappling with a stark reality: it will be very hard to say no to General McChrystal.

Mr. Obama has called Afghanistan a "war of necessity," and in the most basic terms he has the same goal as President George W. Bush did after the Sept. 11 attacks, to prevent another major terrorist assault.

"Whatever decisions I make are going to be based first on a strategy to keep us safe, then we'll figure out how to resource it," Obama said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation."

The White House expects General McChrystal's request to be not just for American troops but for NATO forces as well. This week, the White House is sending questions about his review back to the general in Kabul, Afghanistan, and expects to get responses by the end of next week. (ANI)

Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency.  (ANI) - All Rights Reserved.

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Publication:Asian News International
Date:Sep 22, 2009
Words:327
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