Muleskinner

Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: Opinion

Commentary: Raghvendra Singh [Click to enlarge]

Nobody knows who our next president is going to be, but the challenges he or she will face are immense and perhaps, unprecedented; the war in Afghanistan, the fight against terrorism and the war in Iraq are among them.

In fact, Iraq is just the starting point. Beyond Baghdad, there's the larger war on terror, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, the country some consider an armed nuclear time bomb.

Also, back home there's the struggling economy to deal with, the collapsed housing market, inflation on the rise, fear of recession and the threat of global warming.

Presently, more than 100,000 United States troops are fighting on the front lines in Iraq. The huge question that the 44th president of the United States faces, is whether to end the war by calling the troops home or to keep fighting until the situation is under control. Republican John McCain, have said they want to keep forces in Iraq for another 100 years, while Democrats have promised to pull back troops as early as 60 to 90 days of entering the White House.

However, the real question is whether an immediate troop withdraw would make Iraq erupt in a civil war or if by keeping forces in Iraq the U.S. would further instigate the war.

The next president will also have to make important judgments in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As the Taliban returns to power in certain borderland regions of Pakistan will the United States plan an attack in the tribal areas of Pakistan? The borderlands of Afghanistan and Pakistan, which include hundreds of miles of territory, have never been settled or ruled by anyone.

Even the British empire was not able to pacify it. Will the next president dare to enter this territory, where we might meet our most wanted enemy, Osama Bin Laden?

Dirty bombs and nuclear ambitions in Iran, North Korea and Pakistan, remain among the major challenges to be faced by the next president. Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, who constantly threatens Israel, remains a serious concern in that part of the world.

Even though National Intelligence estimates report Iran is no longer a threat, what remains to be seen is if Iran, despite sanctions, has been enriching uranium and has clear nuclear ambitions.

Continued...

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