War in Afghanistan

1.Now I think you misunderstood the usage of drones from passing the plan. The war in Afghanistan will not be continued. The drones will be there for terrorism and Pakistan stability. The drones will not be there 24/7 they will be there if any reports are written in. 2.As I stated above in my last argument the war in Afghanistan has gotten nowhere but we do need to stay in the country for stability issues. I agree with you on that. I am new to debating online so not sure how to use cards and sources but below is a card and advocate for the plan saying exactly what I am. Withdrawing troops from Afghanistan and focusing on security efforts in Afghanistan would have numerous benefits to the United States. Steven Clemons directs the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation http://www.newamerica.net... / September 8, 2010 Page Online Title: Rethinking U.S. War in Afghanistan The group's core recommendations do not include full, immediate troop withdrawal but rather a decrease in the military footprint in Afghanistan. The five key recommendations are: 1. Emphasize power-sharing and political inclusion. Washington should fast-track a peace process designed to decentralize power within Afghanistan and encourage a power-sharing balance among the principal parties. 2. Downsize and eventually end military operations in southern Afghanistan, and reduce the U.S. military footprint. The United States should draw down its military presence — which radicalizes Pashtuns and aids Taliban recruitment. 3. Focus security efforts on Al Qaeda and Domestic Security. Special forces, intelligence assets and other U.S. capabilities should continue to seek out and target known Al Qaeda cells in the region. They can be ready to act should Al Qaeda attempt to relocate elsewhere or build new training facilities. In addition, part of the savings from our drawdown should be reallocated to bolster U.S. domestic security efforts and to track nuclear weapons globally. 4. Encourage economic development. Because destitute states can become incubators for terrorism, drug and human trafficking and other illicit activities, efforts at reconciliation should be paired with an internationally led effort to develop Afghanistan's economy. 5. Engage regional and global stakeholders in a diplomatic effort designed to guarantee Afghan neutrality and foster regional stability. Despite their considerable differences, neighboring states such as India, Pakistan, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia share a common interest in preventing Afghanistan from being dominated by any single power or being a permanently failed state that exports instability. One of the most disturbing quick zingers that illustrates this war's massive management mess is that the price tag to U.S. taxpayers has soared to nearly $100 billion annually. Compare that to the astonishing fact that Afghanistan's gross national product is only one-seventh of this -- $14 billion. Washington is now spending more on Afghanistan – and failing in its efforts – than the entire annual cost of the new U.S. health insurance program. This is money that could be used to better counter global terrorist threats far away from Afghanistan, reduce the $1.4 trillion annual deficit, repair and modernize a large portion of U.S. infrastructure, radically enhance U.S. educational investment, launch a massive new Manhattan Project-like effort for energy alternatives research -- or put approximately 2 million Americans back to work. Thousands of American and allied personnel have been killed or gravely wounded. Too many innocent Afghans and Pakistanis have become victims – assuring unpredictable blowback in the years ahead. The U.S. interests at stake in Afghanistan do not warrant this level of sacrifice. Obama had justified expanding the military commitment by saying the goal was eradicating Al Qaeda. Yet Al Qaeda is no longer a significant presence in Afghanistan. The government's own analysts now estimate that somewhere between a few dozen to a few hundred hard-core Al Qaeda members remain in the entire Af/Pak theater, largely hiding in Pakistan's northwest provinces. U.S. armed forces have fought bravely and well. Their dedication is unquestioned. But we should not ask them to make sacrifices unnecessary to our core national interests -- particularly when doing so threatens long-term needs and priorities both at home and abroad. America and its allies are mired in a civil war in Afghanistan and are struggling to establish an effective central government in a country that has long been fragmented and decentralized. No matter how desirable this objective might be in the abstract, it is not essential to U.S. security and it is not a goal for which the U.S. military is well suited. There is no clear definition of what would comprise "success" in this endeavor. Creating a unified Afghan state would require committing many more American lives and many hundreds of billions of additional U.S. dollars for many years to come. Prospects for success are dim. As former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger recently warned, "Afghanistan has never been pacified by foreign forces." The 2010 winter offensive in Marjah was inconclusive, and a supposedly "decisive" summer offensive in Kandahar has been delayed and the expectations downgraded. U.S. and allied casualties reached an all-time high in July, and several NATO allies have announced plans to withdraw their forces. The Afghanistan conflict has now grown disproportionally large in the global portfolio of U.S. national security concerns, outweighing and tilting attention and resources away from other troubles in the Middle East, from Iran, from North Korea, from the global consequences of an ascending and more powerful China. Though Obama is more likeable, and often more inspiring, than the fictional captain in the Melville novel, Afghanistan has now become the Moby Dick to Obama's Ahab. The presence of military in Afghanistan is bad for the citizens of the United States, and the nation. Benjamin L. Landis Retired military server for 27 years. And Director of Administration and Finance at several major law firms. http://www.unc.edu... / September 6, 2010 Page Online Title: Afghanistan: An American Tragedy The second benefit to be derived by a withdrawal of United States armed forces from Afghanistan would be the enormous savings of the human and financial resources of the American people. The American government has a mandate imposed upon it by the Preamble to the Constitution to serve and act in the best interests of the American people. It has an obligation to ensure the safety, the liberty, the wellbeing, and the prosperity of the American society. The war in Afghanistan contributes nothing to the accomplishment of these mandates. In fact, it has a deleterious effect upon them, not only by wasting the finite resources of the American society, but also by diverting the government's attention from actions to accomplish them. This card says that we have to withdraw our presence but it is necessary to keep the drones in for the reason I listed earlier. Sorry about the mess still trying to get the hang of this.