Resolved, the US should shift the focus in Afghanistan toward peace-keeping rather than combat.

The control of Afghanistan is approximately 25% by the Taliban. The rest of the country is not seemed at a high risk. (April 2009) Voting irregularities were called for a recall vote, for it was a suspected fraud. To further this irrgularity, it is dangerous to vote for a legitmate leader, but it is easy to vote for the leader who is corrupt and commands troops that could kill you and your family. The collapse of women voting is likely due to the control that the terrorist group has over them. All they have known is violence and maltreatment. To promise them peace and safety would likely break the control of both women and children, who are the pinnicle of bombings and intelligence renessance. This election process will not be fully established for a long while, friend. There are people still in fear of the control that others have over them. The promise of peace without violence can change a nation. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. and his inspired teaching from Ghandi. Through poverty, peace, and faith, they impacted the world and set free millions of people. Not only that, but they charted a better course in the world's future, which is today. If Mr. King didn't maintain peace-keeping strategy, I doubt Obama would be president right now. Accomplishing the impossible must start with the improbable. REBUTTALS TO CONTENTIONS 1) It would work the second time, because, like you said, we underestimated them and were not equipped with the proper intelligence to succeed in our strategy. History will only repeat if you do not learned. I would say we have learned much since the 1st time. a) Let's face it, most of our troop have been killed by bombs. The amount of deaths by trip-wire bombs and other booby traps have lowered significantly. Why? It is simple of course and perhaps a bit silly. The answer is Silly String. A student using his ingenuity thought of the idea, and it saved countless lives. Mr. Schneier states: "I'm a former Marine I in Afghanistan. Silly string has served me well in Combat especially in looking for...booby traps. When you spray the silly string in dark areas, especially when you doing house to house fighting. On many occasions the silly string has saved me and my men's lives." We must look for every option avalible, because it is only then we will find a resolution, and this option of peace may be silly...but then again, silly works. b) Other wars can be flawed when used as examples, for they can have factors that alter the analogy. For example, major difference in the US is that the public doesn't approve, but we're still over there. The government does what's best for the country, and attacking the Taliban's Headquaters in Pakistan would NOT be a mistake. After all, you stated the French missed an oppritunity to eliminate thier enemy. Well, this is our chance, and we must take it by establishing peace in Afghanistan and attacking thier headquarters! c) First of all, friend, war and fighting is never "truely successful". As Ghandi and Mr. King have demonstrated, peace is truely successful. It is easy for fight for the majority, but it takes courage to stand up to the odds. War should be considered a last resort. This change to combat was nessicary at the time, a retalitation until we could figure out more about the terrorist groups and know what we're up against. A principal of war is 'know your enemy'. We know them now, and we have strong evidence saying that thier base-of-operations is in Pakistan! It does no good fighting in Afghanistan when we can attack them at thier core. "There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root." Henry David Thoreau. We must strike at it's roots, lest the branches return. THAT was our true mistake. Keep the peace and divert the terrorists attention and efforts to thier base to allow us to set-up a legitimate government in Afghanistan. d) I agree we should not let our guard down. That's why I purpose a concentrated effort to subtle rennisance to find out more of thier base-of-operations, and to attack with the element of surpise, another principal of war, but the time for peace is now, and this is the fastest way of achieving it. (By the way, war is always intense. It doesn't get more intense, it just grows, like a poison.) It would not be letting our guard down unless we did not take further action; we wouldn't be sitting ducks to detract attention to ourselves, a logistical defense. 2) The adversaries, if they are more tactically capable, is only because they can predict our war efforts in Afghanistan. We need to strike them with a different strategy. Pakistan is already trying to push them out of the country, and we can assist them and accomplish our goal more effectively by working with them in combat. a) Can you specifically cite your source for where you say and define "better"? (Please label as 2a.)) b) Of course they are still lethal! Anyone with a gun is lethal, even a baby; However, these people (for the most part) do not have military training aside from the military "recruits" in the beginning. If they recruit and funnel as rapidly as you say, they do not have the training to handle our supirior forces. Like I said, they kill through bombs. We should focus our intelligence to find a way to detect these bombs. We found that Silly String was a great solution for detecting bombs. It is possible that the answer is right in front of us, but we can not see it. c) Afghanistan terrorist have already spread to Pakistan, and continue to grow. We are not as present in Pakistan as in Afghanistan. It is seriously doubted that the "heads" of the operation would hide where the fighting is. Hence, we must attack thier base-of-operations in Pakistan. MY ARGUMENTS: Taliban operates in Afghanistan and Pakistan, mostly in provinces around the Duran Line border, possibly so that they obtain weapons and the like where it is not as monitored in Pakistan for lethal 'goods', then smuggle it to Afghanistan. We must monitor Pakistan's trade. U.S. officials say their headquarters is in or near Quetta, Pakistan. We must find out more about this and "strike at the roots of evil". The Taliban received training, supplies, and arms from the Pakistani government. It has regained some amount of political control and acceptance in Pakistan's border region Pakistan has launched an offensive to force the Taliban from its territory. Which is all the more reason to concenrate more combat effort there and not Afghan! Ahmad Shah Massoud, who still represented the legitimate government of Afghanistan as recognized by most foreign countries and the United Nations. This is because we helped him rise and it was recognized that he was legitimate. CONCLUSION I conclude that we maintain peace in Afghan, withdrawl troops (easing our financial expense), and maintain Pakistan. The resolution allows me this, for it states that only combat in Afghan must be stopped and peace maintained. For the reasons above, I heavily urge you to vote in my favor. Thank you for the debate. (Source[s]): http://www.dailymail.co.uk... http://www.schneier.com... Henry David Thoreau, The Civil Movement (Mr. King), and Ghandi. http://www.longwarjournal.org...