30,000 more troops to Afghanistan

The so long awaited decision of Obama on Afghanistan reached us last night from the Military Academy of West Point. While an unemotional gray sea of cadets looked at their commander-in-chief, they and the rest of the world watching heard those words we more or less expected: an additional 30,000 US soldiers were to march into Afghanistan. And then the unknown news that they would march 18 months later back again. Of course, depending on the conditions on the ground .
In a somber tone President Obama began his speech by reminding us of the 9/11 attacks. For a moment I felt I was listening at President Bush again and his scare tactics that had most of the country worried into agreeing with whatever the government (his administration) wanted to do. This attempt of Obama to raise our fear again and thus to rally support for the war at home, was increased when he raised the prospect of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into terrorists’ hands. It was probably at that moment when he lost my confidence and I realized that he was just a politician trying to sell us his approach to this war which from last night has really become his war. Also, if the situation is really as bad as Obama believes – after listening to General McChrystal- how will this surge of 30,000 American troops plus maybe 5,000 NATO troops, change things so drastically for the better in 18 months? Specially when one realizes that winter is setting in that rugged land and therefore things are going to be much difficult for several months? In a country that for centuries has defeated from Alexander the Great, to the British and the Soviets, will NATO and the US win? It could be, if a government in Kabul would suddenly become a viable one without corruption and loved by the Afghans. But then all that ask of us to really believe. There is so much that we have not been told, so many questions that we could put to the president, copying the ones that a young senator from Illinois named Obama put just under three years ago to the then secretary of state Condoleezza Rice about president Bush decision to send 20,000 more troops into Iraq:
“What if things don’t go according to plan? What if the occupied country’s government remains in shambles? What exactly are the benchmarks for success? And what are the consequences if they are not met? Is the United States really willing to walk away?”
Because what happen if things don’t go as wished?