奥巴马在西点的演讲.docx

奥巴马在西点的演讲.docx

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奥巴马在西点的演讲

TheWhiteHouse

OfficeofthePressSecretary

ForImmediateRelease

December01,2009

RemarksbythePresidentinAddresstotheNationontheWayForwardinAfghanistanandPakistan

EisenhowerHallTheatre,UnitedStatesMilitaryAcademyatWestPoint,WestPoint,NewYork

8:

01P.M.EST

THEPRESIDENT:

 Goodevening. TotheUnitedStatesCorpsofCadets,tothemenandwomenofourArmedServices,andtomyfellowAmericans:

 IwanttospeaktoyoutonightaboutoureffortinAfghanistan--thenatureofourcommitmentthere,thescopeofourinterests,andthestrategythatmyadministrationwillpursuetobringthiswartoasuccessfulconclusion. It'sanextraordinaryhonorformetodosohereatWestPoint--wheresomanymenandwomenhavepreparedtostandupforoursecurity,andtorepresentwhatisfinestaboutourcountry.

Toaddresstheseimportantissues,it'simportanttorecallwhyAmericaandourallieswerecompelledtofightawarinAfghanistaninthefirstplace. Wedidnotaskforthisfight.OnSeptember11,2001,19menhijackedfourairplanesandusedthemtomurdernearly3,000people. Theystruckatourmilitaryandeconomicnervecenters. Theytookthelivesofinnocentmen,women,andchildrenwithoutregardtotheirfaithorraceorstation. Wereitnotfortheheroicactionsofpassengersonboardoneofthoseflights,theycouldhavealsostruckatoneofthegreatsymbolsofourdemocracyinWashington,andkilledmanymore.

Asweknow,thesemenbelongedtoalQaeda--agroupofextremistswhohavedistortedanddefiledIslam,oneoftheworld’sgreatreligions,tojustifytheslaughterofinnocents.AlQaeda’sbaseofoperationswasinAfghanistan,wheretheywereharboredbytheTaliban--aruthless,repressiveandradicalmovementthatseizedcontrolofthatcountryafteritwasravagedbyyearsofSovietoccupationandcivilwar,andaftertheattentionofAmericaandourfriendshadturnedelsewhere.

Justdaysafter9/11,CongressauthorizedtheuseofforceagainstalQaedaandthosewhoharboredthem--anauthorizationthatcontinuestothisday. ThevoteintheSenatewas98tonothing. ThevoteintheHousewas420to1. Forthefirsttimeinitshistory,theNorthAtlanticTreatyOrganizationinvokedArticle5--thecommitmentthatsaysanattackononemembernationisanattackonall. AndtheUnitedNationsSecurityCouncilendorsedtheuseofallnecessarystepstorespondtothe9/11attacks. America,ouralliesandtheworldwereactingasonetodestroyalQaeda’sterroristnetworkandtoprotectourcommonsecurity.

Underthebannerofthisdomesticunityandinternationallegitimacy--andonlyaftertheTalibanrefusedtoturnoverOsamabinLaden--wesentourtroopsintoAfghanistan. Withinamatterofmonths,alQaedawasscatteredandmanyofitsoperativeswerekilled. TheTalibanwasdrivenfrompowerandpushedbackonitsheels. Aplacethathadknowndecadesoffearnowhadreasontohope. AtaconferenceconvenedbytheU.N.,aprovisionalgovernmentwasestablishedunderPresidentHamidKarzai. AndanInternationalSecurityAssistanceForcewasestablishedtohelpbringalastingpeacetoawar-torncountry.

Then,inearly2003,thedecisionwasmadetowageasecondwar,inIraq. ThewrenchingdebateovertheIraqwariswell-knownandneednotberepeatedhere. It'senoughtosaythatforthenextsixyears,theIraqwardrewthedominantshareofourtroops,ourresources,ourdiplomacy,andournationalattention--andthatthedecisiontogointoIraqcausedsubstantialriftsbetweenAmericaandmuchoftheworld.

Today,afterextraordinarycosts,wearebringingtheIraqwartoaresponsibleend. WewillremoveourcombatbrigadesfromIraqbytheendofnextsummer,andallofourtroopsbytheendof2011. Thatwearedoingsoisatestamenttothecharacterofthemenandwomeninuniform. （Applause.） Thankstotheircourage,gritandperseverance,wehavegivenIraqisachancetoshapetheirfuture,andwearesuccessfullyleavingIraqtoitspeople. 

Butwhilewe'veachievedhard-earnedmilestonesinIraq,thesituationinAfghanistanhasdeteriorated. AfterescapingacrosstheborderintoPakistanin2001and2002,alQaeda’sleadershipestablishedasafehaventhere. AlthoughalegitimategovernmentwaselectedbytheAfghanpeople,it'sbeenhamperedbycorruption,thedrugtrade,anunder-developedeconomy,andinsufficientsecurityforces. 

Overthelastseveralyears,theTalibanhasmaintainedcommoncausewithalQaeda,astheybothseekanoverthrowoftheAfghangovernment. Gradually,theTalibanhasbeguntocontroladditionalswathsofterritoryinAfghanistan,whileengaginginincreasinglybrazenanddevastatingattacksofterrorismagainstthePakistanipeople.

Now,throughoutthisperiod,ourtrooplevelsinAfghanistanremainedafractionofwhattheywereinIraq. WhenItookoffice,wehadjustover32,000AmericansservinginAfghanistan,comparedto160,000inIraqatthepeakofthewar. CommandersinAfghanistanrepeatedlyaskedforsupporttodealwiththereemergenceoftheTaliban,butthesereinforcementsdidnotarrive. Andthat'swhy,shortlyaftertakingoffice,Iapprovedalongstandingrequestformoretroops. Afterconsultationswithourallies,IthenannouncedastrategyrecognizingthefundamentalconnectionbetweenourwareffortinAfghanistanandtheextremistsafehavensinPakistan. Isetagoalthatwasnarrowlydefinedasdisrupting,dismantling,anddefeatingalQaedaanditsextremistallies,andpledgedtobettercoordinateourmilitaryandcivilianefforts. 

Sincethen,we'vemadeprogressonsomeimportantobjectives. High-rankingalQaedaandTalibanleadershavebeenkilled,andwe'vesteppedupthepressureonalQaedaworldwide.InPakistan,thatnation'sarmyhasgoneonitslargestoffensiveinyears. InAfghanistan,weandouralliespreventedtheTalibanfromstoppingapresidentialelection,and--althoughitwasmarredbyfraud--thatelectionproducedagovernmentthatisconsistentwithAfghanistan'slawsandconstitution.

Yethugechallengesremain. Afghanistanisnotlost,butforseveralyearsithasmovedbackwards. There'snoimminentthreatofthegovernmentbeingoverthrown,buttheTalibanhasgainedmomentum. AlQaedahasnotreemergedinAfghanistaninthesamenumbersasbefore9/11,buttheyretaintheirsafehavensalongtheborder. AndourforceslackthefullsupporttheyneedtoeffectivelytrainandpartnerwithAfghansecurityforcesandbettersecurethepopulation. OurnewcommanderinAfghanistan--GeneralMcChrystal--hasreportedthatthesecuritysituationismoreseriousthanheanticipated. Inshort:

 Thestatusquoisnotsustainable.

Ascadets,youvolunteeredforserviceduringthistimeofdanger. SomeofyoufoughtinAfghanistan. Someofyouwilldeploythere. AsyourCommander-in-Chief,Ioweyouamissionthatisclearlydefined,andworthyofyourservice. Andthat'swhy,aftertheAfghanvotingwascompleted,Iinsistedonathoroughreviewofourstrategy. Now,letmebeclear:

 Therehasneverbeenanoptionbeforemethatcalledfortroopdeploymentsbefore2010,sotherehasbeennodelayordenialofresourcesnecessaryfortheconductofthewarduringthisreviewperiod. Instead,thereviewhasallowedmetoaskthehardquestions,andtoexploreallthedifferentoptions,alongwithmynationalsecurityteam,ourmilitaryandcivilianleadershipinAfghanistan,andourkeypartners. Andgiventhestakesinvolved,IowedtheAmericanpeople--andourtroops--noless.

Thisreviewisnowcomplete. AndasCommander-in-Chief,Ihavedeterminedthatitisinourvitalnationalinteresttosendanadditional30,000U.S.troopstoAfghanistan. After18months,ourtroopswillbegintocomehome. Thesearetheresourcesthatweneedtoseizetheinitiative,whilebuildingtheAfghancapacitythatcanallowforaresponsibletransitionofourforcesoutofAfghanistan. 

Idonotmakethisdecisionlightly. IopposedthewarinIraqpreciselybecauseIbelievethatwemustexerciserestraintintheuseofmilitaryforce,andalwaysconsiderthelong-termconsequencesofouractions. Wehavebeenatwarnowforeightyears,atenormouscostinlivesandresources. YearsofdebateoverIraqandterrorismhaveleftourunityonnationalsecurityissuesintatters,andcreatedahighlypolarizedandpartisanbackdropforthiseffort. AndhavingjustexperiencedtheworsteconomiccrisissincetheGreatDepression,theAmericanpeopleareunderstandablyfocusedonrebuildingoureconomyandputtingpeopletoworkhereathome.

Mostofall,Iknowthatthisdecisionasksevenmoreofyou--amilitarythat,alongwithyourfamilies,hasalreadybornetheheaviestofallburdens. AsPresident,IhavesignedaletterofcondolencetothefamilyofeachAmericanwhogivestheirlifeinthesewars. Ihavereadthelettersfromtheparentsandspousesofthosewhodeployed. IvisitedourcourageouswoundedwarriorsatWalterReed. I'vetraveledtoDovertomeettheflag-drapedcasketsof18Americansreturninghometotheirfinalrestingplace. Iseefirsthandtheterriblewagesofwar. IfIdidnotthinkthatthesecurityoftheUnitedStatesandthesafetyoftheAmericanpeoplewereatstakeinAfghanistan,Iwouldgladlyordereverysingleoneofourtroopshometomorrow.

So,no,Idonotmakethisdecisionlightly. ImakethisdecisionbecauseIamconvincedthatoursecurityisatstakeinAfghanistanandPakistan. ThisistheepicenterofviolentextremismpracticedbyalQaeda. Itisfromherethatwewereattackedon9/11,anditisfromherethatnewattacksarebeingplottedasIspeak. Thisisnoidledanger;nohyp