I wrote a column on Nov. 9 about how the current path of the war in Afghanistan is structured similarly to that of the Vietnam War some 40 years ago. Though the state of the war in Afghanistan has been widely compared to Vietnam, President Barack Obama’s address at West Point reminded me of stark differences.

The war in Afghanistan and Pakistan poses much more tangible and severe threats than anything that could have taken place in Vietnam. Terrorists already executed these threats in nations and cities throughout the world, most notably on Sept. 11.

The continued existence of the Taliban and al-Qaida poses immediate and real threats to U.S. security.

In Obama’s address Tuesday night, he said, “In the last few months alone, we have apprehended extremists within our borders who were sent here from the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan to commit new acts of terror.”

There is certainly a critical threat that the current makeup of U.S. forces and Afghan troops cannot effectively eliminate in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

Yet Obama’s decision to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and enact an 18-month timeline before troops are brought home does not help suppress any skepticism regarding the war.

Even with NATO troops fighting in Afghanistan, this is unquestionably a U.S. war.

Obama spoke on the significance that Pakistan plays within the entire context of victory in Afghanistan. Currently, military leaders and federal officials believe that the Afghanistan-Pakistan border is a sanctuary for both the al-Qaida terrorist network and numerous cells of the Taliban regime.

That same region, which spans virtually the length of the southern border of Afghanistan, is composed of some of the most volatile and violent areas of Afghanistan.

U.S. troops are almost exclusively the ones fighting in areas such as the Helmand, Kandahar, Zabol and Paktikia provinces. Though additional troops might help suppress Taliban influence, the potential for victory effectively lies with the military support and leadership of the Afghan government and U.S. partnership with Pakistan — something that was not emphasized enough in Obama’s address.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, said in his assessment of the situation in Afghanistan that in order to achieve some sort of victory in the region, the U.S. military and government requires a “better understanding of the [Afghan] people’s choices and needs.”

Though the additional troops should “effectively train and partner with Afghan Security Forces and better secure the population,” as Obama claims, U.S. military efforts will not be the final solution in the region. It will require diplomatic and political efforts to construct a legitimate government that can provide consistent and effective security throughout the country.

The continued existence of an Afghan state — and the creation of a safer world — certainly depends on the efforts of President Hamid Karzai and his government to build trust with the different ethnic groups in Afghanistan and work to create a stronger, more accountable government.

The United States’ ultimate goals, the eradication of al-Qaida and Taliban cells, will not be met with the current military strategy. Though Obama did not address specific strategic elements of the fight, current military strategy failed at this critical juncture and only elongated the situation on the ground. It is crucial that the troops Obama will deploy in early 2010 be prepared to fight a new style of counterinsurgency.

Obama’s brief, yet pragmatic, address reinforced the virtually universal idea that this effort will not be an easy task. No presidential address since Sept. 11 has left me feeling so uneasy and unsure.

Though Obama asserted that the U.S. presence in Afghanistan was not one to “build nations,” in the United States, we are struggling just to maintain our own nation.

Facing the most severe economic crisis since the Great Depression, a blood-war over health care reform and crumbling infrastructure, Obama was backed into a corner on this critical decision. I fear that in 18 months, when troops begin withdrawing from Afghanistan and tangible results are expected, the American people might not see the results they hoped for.

E-mail Shane at [email protected].