Obama Warned About Attack On Afghanistan, China May help

A few weeks ago, Ayman Zawahiri, a very prominent member of Al Qaida, released an audio message over the Internet warning president-elect Barack Obama against sending more troops to Afghanistan. Zawahiri threatened Obama by referring to the past occupations in Afghanistan involving the Soviet Union and England, and included President Bush's own recent failures (The Times of India). We can remember from the first presidential debate that when it came to Middle Eastern foreign policy, Obama was firm in informing the nation that he was determined to gradually removes troops from Iraq and to begin concentrating forces on Afghanistan. He didn't shy away from that determination after the threat and a few days later officially vowed that he would not break from his campaign promise and continue with the plan. While public opinion in America usually sways towards peace, Obama's popularity and charisma will be able to handle any backlash from the public in response to war. Ultimately, any success in Afghanistan will rely heavily on the amount of support the United States can obtain from other countries, a vital aspect in terms of manpower and global image; an aspect they failed to succeed in during the Iraq war which garnered hate for the Bush administration not only from the American people, but from a global standpoint stemming from the lack of global participation.

What's interesting about the situation in Afghanistan is the possible involvement of China, "which is famously allergic to intervention" according to Newsweek, and with many other countries refused to aid America in their efforts in Iraq. China also decided to take the side of Iran and Russia in the nuclear dilemma, which is why it is very strange to hear of their potential involvement in Afghanistan. According to multiple sources, including Newsweek, Press TV, and the International Herald Tribune, talks of China sending troops to Afghanistan have been on and off. There are many strategic reasons to why China would want involvement in Afghanistan. Geographic reasons, including the mountainous border that separate the two countries, as well as China's present battles with Islamic extremists and the role Islamic extremists may play in Pakistan (Newsweek).

However, China continuously denies that they may become involved, perhaps for fear of their own negative image they might create. America has been deemed an interfering country by numerous Middle Eastern countries, and China most likely would not want to share that image. I think the likelihood that Obama would accept help from the Chinese is very high because of the lesser need to use resources and money, and the positive resonation that may carry among the public in America. Of course, China can be very crafty and may end up seeking to take complete control over Afghanistan as the Soviet Union did and that would not bode well for the U.S.

Liu, Melinda. "How China Could Quietly Play A Key Role In Afghanistan". Newsweek. 22 November 2008.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/170320

"Zawahiri warns Obama against sending troops to Afghanistan". The Times of India. 19 November 2008.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Gulf/Zawahiri_warns_Obama_against_sending_troops_to_Afghanistan/articleshow/3733434.cms