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Major Issues
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Afghanistan and
Pakistan
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Other Foreign Policy Efforts
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After the terrorist attacks of September 11th,
2001, the United States had a right and necessity to find and punish
those responsible. Senator Leahy believes the decision to
remove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan was the right one; it
cut off al Qaeda's primary source of support and removed the weight
of a repressive regime from the backs of the Afghan people.
The subsequent shifting of resources to Iraq allowed for militant
extremist movements in the region to fester and continue to put
American lives at risk. Senator Leahy believes that
instability in the Afghan-Pakistan region poses serious threats to
the security of the United States and he supports President Obama's
efforts to refocus U.S. policy on defeating al Qaeda and the
Taliban, and on helping the Afghan people to build a more stable,
prosperous country.
Along with action in Afghanistan comes a continuation of operations
along the border with Pakistan. If not dealt with, the
presence of Taliban and al Qaeda safe havens there will continue to
threaten efforts to stabilize Afghanistan.
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Senator Leahy is concerned, however, with
the civilian casualties resulting from U.S. military
operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and believes that
the way to improve the situation in Pakistan is by
continuing to build the capacity and professionalism of the
Pakistani military while being careful not to become too
deeply engaged militarily.
Senator Leahy was also heartened when
President Obama recently stated that we cannot deal with the
situation in this region entirely through military means.
Effective regional diplomacy and well planned and
implemented development projects must be a key part of any
strategy. Extremism and violence feeds off of people
who are poor, angry, and oppressed and combating those
circumstances is vital. As chairman of the
Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations,
Senator Leahy has played a key role in guiding and funding
those efforts.
Additionally, any Afghanistan/Pakistan
policy must set realistic goals and make a credible estimate
of the likely costs to achieve them. Senator Leahy
supports President Obama's decision to move the funding
process of our operations in Afghanistan and Iraq into the
normal budget cycle rather than through emergency
supplemental appropriations bills which were used by former
President Bush to circumvent and hide the true costs of
these wars.
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Photos From
Leahy's Visit To Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan
May 2009
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