President University
This is the 16th book written by Bob Woodward which promises to be another best seller. The "Obama's War", like his previous White House chronicles on George W Bush's decisions to engage two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is a tour de force examining the dynamics of Obama's administration in dealing with those wars. In it, Woodward has portrayed the difficulties faced by the newly elected President in order to come to grips with conflicting views of US foreign policies left by his predecessor and come up with a new, comprehensive strategy which would become his own legacy. Chief among his obstacles has been the inevitable differences in terms of their philosophical underpinnings, strategic choices and even tactical approaches between the former and the new policy makers that put together by Obama in his new national security team.
It is not surprising, therefore, when Steve Luxenberg of The Washington Post says "Obama is shown at odds with his uniformed military commanders, particularly Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. David H. Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command during the 2009 strategy review and now the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan." The book itself focus more on such issues as "the strategy review, and the dissension, distrust and infighting that consumed Obama's national security team as it was locked in a fierce and emotional struggle over the direction, goals, timetable, troop levels and the chances of success for a war that is almost certain to be one of the defining events of this presidency."
See for further reading:
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/21/AR2010092106706.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2010092106707 ).
Perdebatan antara strategi Obama yang dinilai akan gagal dan kepentingan strategi Bush Si Penjahat Perang tak lain untuk melanggengkan keserakahan AS di Afgan dan Pakistan. Yang menjadi masalah perdebatan ini adalah posisi Obama atau akan membuat Obama terjatuh.
ReplyDeletePresiden Obama memang dihadapkan pada posisi yang sulit ketika ia ingin melepaskan Amerika dari kecenderungan konservatisme dalam polugri. Situasi dalam negeri yang sangat tidak kondusif karen krisis ejonomi yg merupakan "tinggalan" pemerintah Bush, semakin membuat Obama dan pemerintahannya terpojok. Kini pengaruh ideologi ultra konservatif semakin marak di tingkat grass-roots pula, yang bisa saja membuat kans Obama terpilih lagi pada 2012 berkurang.
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