Afghan withdrawal would hurt India: McCain

[compak]

WASHINGTON: US Senator John McCain appealed Friday to President Barack Obama to stay engaged in Afghanistan, warning that a hasty troop withdrawal would jeopardize warming ties with India.

The senior Republican senator from Arizona pledged support for India across the US political divide in an address delivered just as Obama flew off for a trip meant to breathe new life into the relationship.

But McCain, whose Republican Party made strong gains in congressional elections Tuesday, warned Obama against pulling out of Afghanistan “before positive conditions can be shaped and sustained on the ground.”

The consequences would “certainly be terrible for us, but they will even be worse for India, which will have a terrorist safe haven on its periphery,”McCain said at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“I can think of few more immediate ways to damage the US-India relationship, and to convince India that the United States is both a declining power and an unreliable partner, than for us to pull out of Afghanistan before achieving our goals,” McCain said.

Obama has tripled US forces in Afghanistan since defeating McCain for the White House, pledging to root out the Taliban whose extremist regime was ousted by US-led forces following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

But Obama also in December set a goal of starting to withdraw troops in mid-2011 depending on conditions on the ground.

Obama advisers have stressed that the United States will remain committed to Afghanistan but said that the timeline is needed to pressure President Hamid Karzai to take more responsibility for security.

Opinion polls show weakening US support for the war, with some of Obama’s Democratic supporters calling for the United States to devote resources back at home after spending more than one trillion dollars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

But McCain said that an early withdrawal from Afghanistan would drive Pakistan to step up cooperation with Afghanistan’s Taliban to “hedge its bets.”

McCain had sharp words over India’s historic rival, deploring that “some in Pakistan’s army and intelligence service continue to support these terrorist groups as tools of regional influence.

“Nothing the United States has done since September 11, 2001 has changed the basic strategic calculus of the Pakistani army: when compelled, it is willing to fight terrorist groups that threaten Pakistan, but not related groups that threaten Afghanistan, India and increasingly America as well,”McCain said.

But McCain asked India to understand US cooperation with Pakistan, saying “the US and India have a natural partner in the overwhelming majority of Pakistani society.”

“We cut off assistance and walked away from Pakistan once, and the problem got worse, not better,” he said.

The US Congress last year approved a 7.5 billion-dollar aid package aimed at building Pakistan’s economy and democratic institutions to curb the appeal of extremists.

While India has supported civilian assistance, it has quietly been uneasy about a two billion-dollar military package for Pakistan which the Obama administration recently asked Congress to approve.

India enjoys strong support among prominent Republicans and Democrats, a far cry from the uneasy relationship during the Cold War.

However, Representative Michele Bachmann, a leader of the right-wing Tea Party movement that has gained prominence within the Republican Party, criticized the cost of Obama’s trip to India and three other Asian nations.

“We have never seen a trip at this level before, of this level of excess,” the Minnesota congresswoman told CNN.

“I think it’s not a good signal to send to the American people, when the American people are, quite frankly, struggling right now with high job losses,”she said. -AFP

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[Toshiba]

1)u.s will never leave afganistan
2)there is no al qaeda at all.
3)this is just a hysteria created by u.s
4)y u.s will leave the territory to pakistan after hard cash and soldier sacrifice.
5)even u.s is not loosing war.they want to make the world assure that this region is the heaven of terror and pak may be the next target.
6)u.s is building consulates in afganistan and pakistan for wat???,if they have 2 leave this place.
7)specially u.s want depth in this region of south asia and want to quest china.
then wat is the question of leaving afganistan.

 

[Urbanized Greyhound]

Agree fully with McCain ...at least these conservative republican guys seem to understand India's concern much better than the Democrats, who mess up big time with their pseudo-liberalism.

Obama harping on the word "change " in his campaign , only to bungle everything up big time in office and backpeddle on all his promises . Bush may have been reviled a lot but he was a guy with a clear idea on strategic affairs....

 

[karan.1970]

Obama made sure that Dems are out of office for atleast 8 years from 2012.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

Agree fully with McCain ...at least these conservative republican guys seem to understand India's concern much better than the Democrats, who mess up big time with their pseudo-liberalism.

Obama harping on the word "change " in his campaign , only to bungle everything up big time in office and backpeddle on all his promises . Bush may have been reviled a lot but he was a guy with a clear idea on strategic affairs....

Without commenting on Obama or Democrat policies, IMO there will be intense pressure on Obama to re-jig his "withdrawal" plans from Congress. And he will be in no position to resist. As it is the Chair of the Foreign Affairs committee and the Sub-Committee on Terrorism has gone to the Republicans. That combined with the Pentagon's stance is going to put Obama between "a rock and a hard place".
Let us see how he weathers it?

 

[karan.1970]

I also see a lot of riders coming up on the 2 billion dollar military assistence to Pakistan that Obama admin plans to take to congress..

 

[U-571]

US out of afghanistan will be political victory for pakistan just like afghan soviet war victory for pakistan

 

[karan.1970]

US out of afghanistan will be political victory for pakistan just like afghan soviet war victory for pakistan

You do remember what that path to victory in Afghanistan has done to your country. Looking back, a lot of Pakistanis would consider that as a victory they could have done without.

What if this victory also goes the same way..??

Though I dont believe US is going anywhere anytime soon..

 

[Toshiba]

US out of afghanistan will be political victory for pakistan just like afghan soviet war victory for pakistan

u still dont understand the result

 

[mjnaushad]

You do remember what that path to victory in Afghanistan has done to your country. Looking back, a lot of Pakistanis would consider that as a victory they could have done without.

What if this victory also goes the same way..??

Though I dont believe US is going anywhere anytime soon..

That victory wasn't the cause of what we are into today. The attitude of 'Go to Hell Afghanistan' by some other allies was the cause of what happening today plus Pakistan did made mistakes after war which also contributed in big way.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

You do remember what that path to victory in Afghanistan has done to your country. Looking back, a lot of Pakistanis would consider that as a victory they could have done without.

Surprisingly, many people here are unable to comprehend that fact. That "victory" seems to be the genesis of the present "no-win" situation.

What if this victory also goes the same way..??

Undoubtedly it will. Then some people will have to sort out the tangled web of "good taliban-bad taliban". We definitely can't envy those people involved in that task. Unless they want it that way.

Though I dont believe US is going anywhere anytime soon..

Nope, looks like they aren't.

 

[Omar1984]

u still dont understand the result

Obviously it would be in Pakistan's best interest if U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan. india is not affected by this war as much as Pakistan is so india wouldn't know or maybe it does and just wants to continue seeing Pakistan suffer.

 

[karan.1970]

That victory wasn't the cause of what we are into today. The attitude of 'Go to Hell Afghanistan' by some other allies was the cause of what happening today plus Pakistan did made mistakes after war which also contributed in big way.

Sir.. Riding on the back of NATO economic power was the path to victory in that war. The complete dependence of Pakistan on American money and arms in return for building an army of insurgents to fight the soviets is what landed you guys in the mess that exists today. You forgot that once Soviets were defeated, NATO was no longer interested in teh area. They could get up and leave, but Pakistan couldnt. You were left with having to keep the army of terrorsits busy. Pakistan did a good job for a decade letting them lose on Afghanistan.. But when that target was taken away by WOT, the Taliban turned on the next convinient taget-- Pakistan..

As they say, deals with the devil never profit..

 

[Mirza Jatt]

india's interest might not be a reason big enough to decide wether US would withdraw or would not...although I firmly belive they would not).
But the good point for India is that India's interests in Afghanistan is being seriously considered by the Republican leader who are in a very good position.

 

[karan.1970]

Obviously it would be in Pakistan's best interest if U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan. india is not affected by this war as much as Pakistan is so india wouldn't know or maybe it does and just wants to continue seeing Pakistan suffer.

There is no may be there.. India and Pakistan are locked in an undeclared war at this time.