Business and Politics

After a six-hour campaign stop in Afghanistan, President Obama’s advisors wish to claim mission accomplished.  After all, a leading headline said it all:  “Obama Signs Pact in Kabul, Turning Page in Afghan War”.  In reality, the alleged pact is no more than a vaguely-worded memorandum of understanding.  It provides just enough political cover to merit the misleading headline.  Secondly, the supposed pact did not turn any page in the Afghan War.  It simply added another rhetorical page to President Obama’s 2012 campaign narrative.  For ordinary Afghans and the regional geo-political landscape nothing has changed.  Ambiguity lingers and the rush for the exit door continues unabated.

The President’s late-night Afghan rendezvous amounts to a campaign photo op to reassure the American public that something is being done in Afghanistan.  It was designed purely for domestic political consumption.  Despite the presence of approximately 87,000 U.S. troops, the President has not visited Afghanistan in over a year and has rarely mentioned the mission in public.

Continue reading at The Hill:

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/225031-obamas-afghan-photo-op

Marco Vincenzo is represented by Specialist Speakers.