Secretary+of+Defense,+Leon+E.+Panetta

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Perspective on Afghanistan

 Leon Panetta  Created By - Mitch N
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 A quality perspective will: •Answer the questions in extended power paragraphs. consistently used in paragraphs 2 and 3 •Draw evidence from two high quality, credible sources. •Cite evidence internally and in a Works Cited-- internal citations inaccurately formatted; WC is corrct. •Post your entry on the wiki by Friday, December 9th.

1. Introduce your person and explain why he/she has a credible opinion on the War in Afghanistan. Credit source 2. Describe your person's perspective on the U.S.'s involvement in Afghanistan. Your answer should address following bullet points: •Why is he/she interested in Afghanistan? Is it personal, political, social, economic, religious, humanitarian, etc? •How was this person affected when the Taliban controlled Afghanistan •How has this person been affected by the United States presence in Afghanistan? •How would this person's life change if the United States left Afghanistan abruptly? 3. How would your person answer the question: When should the United States leave Afghanistan?

In July 2011, Leon E. Panetta began his term as the United States Secretary of Defense. Mr. Panetta has a very credible opinion on the War in Afghanistan because of his status in the US government. Prior to Mr. Panetta becoming our Secretary of Defense, he served as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from February of 2009 to April 2011. Mr. Panetta has an extremely credible view on the War of Afghanistan due his job status right now, and that he was the Director of the CIA.

Leon Panetta is interested in Afghanistan because of his job at the time being. Mr. Panetta is the Secretary of Defense, which is the chief executive officer of the Department of Defense. Mr. Panetta job is that he "is responsible for the formulation of general defense policy and policy related to all matters of direct concern to the Department of Defense, and for the execution of approved policy" (Top Civilian and Military). While the Taliban controlled Afghanistan, Mr. Panetta was not fully affected. Mr. Panetta only held his various jobs in the US government while Democrats like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were the presidents. From 1997-2009, Mr. Panetta was not in office, therefore he was not directly affected by the Taliban's controlling of Afghanistan. Mr. Panetta's life has been affected by the United States presence in Afghanistan though. Right now, he is the Secretary of Defense, which is a key contributor and decision maker for wars like the War in Afghanistan. His job is to control over "all Department of Defense forces, i.e. the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps." (United States Secretary of Defense). This means that Mr. Panetta has to make vital decisions in the War in Afghanistan. If the United States left Afghanistan abruptly, Mr. Panetta's life would change. In honesty, his life would be much less chaotic, with also the Iraq War winding down by the end of this year, he would have no major war to govern over. Leon Panetta has an extremely high ranking in the US government, giving him a say on when we should depart from Afghanistan.

 After a press release in October 2011, Panetta proposes what he believes the future of Afghanistan should be. He states that "Thanks to the progress we have made, we can draw down our forces while building a long-term enduring relationship with the Afghan people" (defense.gov). Once I read his statement, I came to the conclusion that Mr. Panetta believes that a departure from Afghanistan should be occurring in the near future, while no actual date or time is provided. Once the US believes their goals have been reached and will be sustained, Mr. Panetta believes they should depart. The main goal is that "Afghanistan does not again become a safe haven for terrorists" (defense.gov). When the US is ensured that the Afghans will be loyal to our country again, Mr. Panetta thinks we should leave their country.

Works Cited "Top Civilian and Military Leaders." //Defense.Gov//. U.S. Department of Defense, n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. . "Leon E. Panetta." //Politico//. Capitol News Company LLC, n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. . "United States Secretary of Defense." //Wikipedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. .