As President Barack Obama has made the ultimate decision to send forth 30,000 additional armed forces to fight the insurgency in Afghanistan (a duplication of the 20,000 plus troops that former President George W. Bush sent to counter the insurgency in Iraq), the United States has signaled to the international community that victory in this region is necessary and imperative.

During the theatre of war, public support can be fatigue and fragile at times. It is important to remind people why Afghanistan is crucial in today’s time. It is the painful reminder of the terroristic attacks against our sovereign nation on September 11, 2001 that engaged us in a conflict against an ideology. An ideology that promotes evil over good and the right to take another’s life if their religious or political identity is different from yours.

Not only is the U.S. security interest at stake, but the whole world should be concerned about Afghanistan. If the Taliban is allowed a permanent safe haven in the Middle East and overthrow the government, it weakens the U.S. foreign policy and makes our nation vulnerable to future attacks.