Exam Questions Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Exam Questions - Article Example This argument is also explained in the 2008 National Defense Strategy (NDS) document. â€Å"The most important military component of the struggle against violent extremists is not the fighting we do ourselves, but how well we help prepare our partners to defend and govern themselves† (NDS 2008, P8). This statement, found in the national defense strategy of 2008 helps one understand President Obama’s words better. He does not seek to eliminate the extremist threat from Afghanistan simply through brute force. Rather, he advocates sending additional troops to the country to stabilize the situation there and create an environment where the Afghan security forces can be trained to hold their own against the extremist threat. Once that task is accomplished, the US would not need to be an active participant in the war against Al Qaeda and its associates in the country and could withdraw its troops subsequently assured that no threat to its own national security would be foster ed in Afghanistan. 2. The 2008 national defense strategy clearly states that its intent is to counterbalance the DoD’s hitherto approach of concentrating on conventional warfare through a ‘mastery of irregular warfare’. ... The 2008 NDS aims to focus on winning wars such as those in Iraq and Afghanisthan through more than just sheer military power. It recognizes the threat posed by their enemies in the more overt forms visible today as well as the less obvious ones such as the manipulation of global opinion through mass communication venues and through exploitation of international commitments and legal avenues. The strategy also advocates bolstering intelligence capabilities to detect and analyze new forms of warfare and come up with strategies and approaches to counter the same. One can take the attitude of the US towards Afghanistan as a fitting example of this new approach. Rather than simply annexing the country and weeding out elements of extremist violence posing a threat to their national security, the US has chosen to help the people of the country gain control of their own lands and successfully defend it from the Al Qaeda and Taliban. By doing so, they not only weaken their foes in the countr y, but also make the country impervious to their influence, effectively cutting them off from the safe haven and the weapon supplies that they hitherto enjoyed over there. By concentrating on irregular warfare, the NDS looks to ensure a lasting and less expensive (in terms of funds as well as loss to life and property) war for America’s security. 3. The US foreign policy towards Somalia, as mentioned in the 2007 report, aims to eliminate the terrorist threat in the country and bring political stability to it, by helping the people establish a functioning central government. It also aims to address the humanitarian needs of the Somali people. One of the major interests for the United States of America in Somalia