Afghanistanization

*title credit to Mr. Bolos
President Obama just delivered a live address to Americans explaining some changes occurring regarding the Afghanistan war. It is worth noting that today marks the one year anniversary of the launching of mission that killed Osama bin Laden. Obama spoke from a U.S. military base in Afghanistan, traveling there in order to sign a "Strategic Partnership Agreement" with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
                                                                                                              Watch full address here                          

This agreement established that America will no longer have permanent military bases in Afghanistan, but is going to still support Afghan troops. The goal is to withdrawal all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by 2014. In the meantime, America is going to work on "delivering justice to al-Qaeda," with the "light of a new day on the end of the horizon."

This plan reminded me a lot of Nixon's "Vietnamization": the process that replaced American troops with Southern Vietnamese  troops, during the Vietnam War in order to bring  soldiers home (as I learned from my junior theme). Hopefully this plan is the only similarities we will find between Nixon and Obama's presidency, but it does sound promising. Not too passive, not to aggressive, but just right: The Goldilock's plan.


However Vietnamization was not necessarily successful. It did bring home the U.S. troops but this lead to  South Vietnam succumbing to North Vietnam, meaning we did not win the war. How does this precedent affect your confidence in Obama's plan? Why should the outcome of this plan be any different today?