The public announcement hasn’t even been made yet, but already, it’s being called the most important decision of Barack Obama’s presidency. On Sunday, Obama met with military leaders to inform them he would commit 30,000 more American troops to Afghanistan. Critics are now questioning whether the new commander in chief can turn around the eight-year-old war. “This is
not an open-ended commitment,” warned White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. Obama’s plan will include a specific time frame for ending the war. Many anticipate that when Obama gives his public address on Tuesday evening, he will touch on hopes that NATO allies will also increase troop deployments. Still, leaders like President Nicolas Sarkozy of France have already indicated that they will not commit new personnel. When the increase goes into effect, it will bring the total number of American troops in Afghanistan to around 100,000.