Midterm Elections Ignore Afghanistan and Iraq Wars

Strategic Insights -

As President Barack Obama campaigns for re-election, his stump speech rarely touches on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a stark departure from the 2008 and 2006 elections when the conflicts were major campaign issues. Both Democrats and Republicans have settled on avoiding discussion of the wars, citing concerns about internal divisions, economic dominance, and the budget deficit. The decision reflects a shift in voter priorities, with jobs and the economy taking center stage, while the wars have become a sideshow.

Key Takeaways:

  • The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been largely absent from this year's midterm election campaigns, with both Democrats and Republicans avoiding discussion of the issues.
  • Democrats are divided on the war in Afghanistan and do not want to air internal divisions during the campaign.
  • Republicans are unified in support of the war in Afghanistan and President Obama's decision to send more troops there, but see no need to stress an issue on which they are more or less allied with him.
  • The lack of focus on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is a significant departure from the 2008 and 2006 election cycles, when the conflicts played a major part in the general election campaign.
  • Voter priorities have shifted, with jobs and the economy dominating the conversations, making the wars a secondary issue.
  • The White House benefits from the lack of a real foreign policy issue to fight with Republicans about during the campaign season, but this may become a liability in 2012 as the success or failure of the Afghan surge becomes clearer.
  • Afghanistan will likely become a major campaign issue in 2012, with Democrats and Republicans differing on the strategy for withdrawing troops.

Statistics:

  • More than $1 trillion has been spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.
  • The number of troops in Afghanistan has been increased by President Obama's decision to send more troops to the country.
  • The troop level in Afghanistan is expected to decrease as the president prepares to bring troops home next summer.
  • The success or failure of the Afghan surge will likely have a significant impact on the 2012 presidential election.

Sources:

  • Peter D. Feaver, a former national security aide to President George W. Bush, statement in the article.
  • Charles Cook, publisher of The Cook Political Report and an independent analyst of Congressional races, statement in the article.
  • "Cook Political Report", source cited in the article but name of publication not specified in the citation within the article.
  • "The article relies on information from Peter D. Feaver and Charles Cook, two experts in foreign policy."