The Difficult Decision the President Faces on Afghanistan

Colleagues:

President Obama is facing one of the most critical decisions in his Presidency—what to do in Afghanistan following the pessimistic assessment by his senior field commander in the war zone, GEN Stan McChrystal. The General in his report to the Obama national security team emphasized that the strategic situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated substantially, that there is little time left to counter Taliban success with a new approach, and that he needs at least 40,000 new troops.