GN Commentary: September 3, 2009 - Can the War In Afghanistan Be Won?

Maybe it's time to learn more about Bible prophecy, and what it says to us today.

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Video Transcript

Can the US and its NATO allies win the war in Afghanistan? That's the question on the minds of many in America and elsewhere, as the conflict there enters a new and more dangerous phase. In August alone, 48 US service men and women lost their lives, as did 15 British troops in July.

This week, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal  cautioned that "the situation in Afghanistan is serious," but he stated that "success is achievable and demands a revised implementation strategy, commitment and resolve, and increased unity of effort." The US presently has some 62,000 troops in the country, with 6,000 expected to be added by the end of the year, while other NATO countries have another 35,000 military personnel.

When US President Barack Obama took office, he referred to the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan as the "central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism." He called it a "war of necessity," contrasting it with the war in Iraq, which he labeled a "war of choice." Whatever one may call it, the war in Afghanistan is now at a low ebb of support among Americans; it's almost as if the September 2001 terrorist attacks, planned in Afghanistan, and warnings of Al-Qaeda rebuilding a base from its Afghanistan-Pakistan refuges, no longer carry the weight they once did.  

The cause hasn't been helped by the recent elections, labeled fraudulent by many, and corruption, endemic in Afghanistan. Nor has it been helped by the recent allegations of lewd behavior and sexual misconduct by security personnel at the US Embassy in Kabul. Nonetheless, President Obama is determined: "There are no quick fixes to achieve U.S. national security interests in Afghanistan and Pakistan," he stated in a speech in March of this year. "The danger of failure is real and the implications are grave."

What will be the outcome of what some are labeling "Obama's war"? And is the cause as critical as the President suggests?

A couple of things are certain: radical Islam isn't going away any time soon. And the prestige of the United States and other English-speaking nations over the long term will remain in decline throughout the world. We can know both those facts from Bible prophecy, which speaks of the future of the United States and Britain, and which alludes to religious fundamentalism in the Muslim world. Both are there, in the pages of your Bible.

If you haven't heard that before, maybe it's time to learn more about Bible prophecy, and what it says to us today.

For GN Magazine, I'm Ralph Levy.