Making a difference? Evaluating the impact of President Barack Obama

Abstract

Barack Obama promised during his election campaign to draw-down the war in Iraq while providing the resources necessary to combat the Taliban in Afghanistan. In March, he announced a strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan focused on defeating al Qaeda. By August, he was calling the war in Afghanistan a “war of necessity.” But upon receiving General Stanley McChrystal’s assessment of the troops required to fulfill the new strategy, Obama began an extensive review to determine if he was on the right course. At West Point in December, the president declared both that he was sending 30,000 new American troops to the conflict, but he promised to begin withdrawing them within 18 months.