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What’s Really Behind the Afghan Surge? » Publications » Family Security Matters: "'There is evil in the world…we were attacked…' – George Bush (2001) and Barack Obama (2009)

President Obama's recent West Point speech announcing 30,000 additional U.S. troops for Afghanistan and soon thereafter justifying armed intervention in his Oslo Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech sounded hawkish and similar to the George Bush of 2001. Why would Barack Obama repeat Bush concepts when his entire raison d’etre was “change” from George Bush? Moreover, acting like George Bush by inserting U.S. military forces abroad contradicts two important goals of the Obama presidency: 1) improvement of relations with the Islamic world, and 2) the implementation of a costly domestic agenda that includes health care reform and economic recovery
. Close examination of events reveals that President Obama’s portrayal of the Afghanistan surge on principles of “fighting evil” and “self-defense” is disingenuous while his motivations are political only. Given the human sacrifice of U.S. troops, the conclusion that Obama acted out of political expediency is disheartening, but nevertheless unavoidable upon further scrutiny."