Afghanistan

There have been some changes, Obama has begun to "package Afghanistan and Pakistan as a common, interrelated problem," something Bush never did. This means that there will be a coordinated plan to deal with both, although interventions may well mean destabilising Pakistan leading to a tightrope between what helps prevent terrorism and what simply undermines Pakistan as a state. There has been praise for increasing non military funding to Pakistan up to $1.5billion. As Iraq becomes less of a burden on the USA the military will be able to move forces from Iraq to Afghanistan.

Obama has done little on Afghanistan, essentially following the same policy as George Bush. Obama’s policy is a surge on the model provided by General Petraeus for George Bush in Iraq. According to James Dobbins who served in Afghanistan for Bush Obama's plan is "largely an extension of where the Bush Administration, in its last years, was heading,with some refinements and additions." It was successful there so may well be successful (in admittedly very different conditions) in Afghanistan. The numbers being deployed in this surge are very similar to the one in Iraq. Obama is continuing in trying to turn the Taliban against Al Quaeda and the moderates against extremists along with ‘Afghanisation’ with the Afghans taking on more of the burden of fighting; that should also prepare them for when the Americans eventually leave. And finally, although Obama earlier this week insisted that any Afghanistan plan had to have an exit strategy, he notably avoided articulating one today — not unlike his predecessor on Iraq.[[Bobby Ghosh, Time U.S., Obama Afghanistan Plan Breaks Old Ground, 28th March 2009, http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1888257,00.html]]