Today In History: Obama Touts Non-NATO Ally Strategy; Trump Calls NATO 'Obsolete'

March 27, 2017, is the 86th day of the year, with 279 days remaining. The moon is in a waning crescent phase, growing smaller each day until the new moon on March 28, with illumination at 1 percent.

Obama Presents New Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan

President Obama’s Friday address in 2009 outlined his strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He presented a singular and central question: “What is our purpose in Afghanistan?”

The intended proof was in the policy. The new strategy culminated in a 60-day, inter-agency review, during which the Obama administration consulted with the Afghan and Pakistani governments, partners and NATO allies, other donors, intentional organizations and members of Congress. A clear, concise goal was explained: disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and its safe havens. The president’s approach was designed to be flexible, adoptive and included frequent evaluations of the accordant progress being made. Obama referenced the deployment of 17,000 troops, per the request of Gen. David McKiernan, a move to further the effort of taking the fight to the Taliban and greater capacity to partner with Afghan security forces and pursue insurgents. He also informed the public of a shift in the emphasis of the mission to training and increasing the size of Afghan security forces so that these groups could eventually take the lead in securing their own country.

“Going forward,” Obama said, “we will not blindly stay the course. Instead, we will set clear metrics to measure progress and hold ourselves accountable.”

“We will measure the growth of Afghanistan’s economy and its illicit narcotics production,” the president continued, “and we will review whether we are using the right tools and tactics to make progress towards accomplishing our goals.”

Trump Discusses NATO and Foreign Policy

Easter Sunday in 2016 marked a telephone interview between Donald Trump and ABC News White House correspondent Jonathan Karl. Karl began the conversation with a question about a National Enquirer story in which rumors emerged surrounding multiple martial infidelities committed by Ted Cruz. But the crux of the interview revolved around Trump’s foreign policy, with Karl referencing interviews with The New York Times and The Washington Post in which Trump suggested that NATO needed to do more to carry its weight.

“I think NATO’s obsolete,” Trump told Karl, describing NATO’s emergence during the times of the Soviet Union. “We have the threat of terrorism, and NATO doesn’t discuss terrorism. NATO’s not meant for terrorism. NATO doesn’t have the right countries in it for terrorism.”

NATO’s website states that terrorism “poses a direct threat to the security of the citizens of NATO countries and to international stability and prosperity,” that the organization’s work on counter-terrorism focuses on improving awareness of the threat while developing capabilities to prepare and response as well as enhancing engagement with partner countries “and intentional actors.” The organization highlights a number of efforts in this regard, including — but not limited to — the NATO County-Terrorism Policy Guidelines and developing new capabilities and technologies to tackle the threat of terrorism. The organization also offers an outline of terrorist threats to NATO countries.

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Photo credit: U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison