This past Thursday, on July 7, 2011, U.S. war deaths in Afghanistan hit a grim milestone. On that day, the thousandth American soldier died serving in Afghanistan under the presidency of Barack Obama. According to the web database icasualties.org, there have been 1,002 troop deaths in Afghanistan under President Obama so far.

As the foreign policy advocacy group Just Foreign Policy notes, not only have the vast majority of troop deaths in Afghanistan now occurred under Obama’s watch — 2/3 of U.S. soldiers have fallen under the current president — but these deaths are occurring at an accelerated rate, given that the Obama administration has only managed the war for a quarter of its duration:

On July 7, 2011, U.S. troop deaths from the war in Afghanistan since President Obama took office reached 1,000. That means that nearly two-thirds of the U.S. fatalities in the war in Afghanistan have occurred during the Obama administration, which has managed the war for a mere quarter of its duration.

These Americans are not merely statistics. Each fallen soldier leaves behind loved ones and a community devastated by their loss. Take the case of 28-year old Army Staff Seargant Josh Throckmorton, who was killed this past Tuesday. Throckmorton served both in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in his death he will leave behind a wife and three children. Local news station WOODTV covered the community’s mourning. Watch their report:

These deaths don’t even take into account suffering among the Afghan population, which is logistically difficult for the media to cover. However, these deaths are riling the country, as raucous protests continue to take place over the killings of civilians.

As we pass this grim new milestone, the fate of the war remains unclear. Obama’s troop drawdown is expected to leave twice as many American soldiers in Afghanistan by the end of 2012 than when he started his presidency, while a large majority of Americans want the war to end.

U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford traveled to the Syrian city of Hama last week “as a show of solidarity” with residents speaking out against Bashar al-Assad’s oppressive rule. Ford even joined a crowd of demonstrators protesting Assad’s regime on Friday and video shows Syrian activists welcoming him with roses and olive branches. One activist said he “felt protected” by Ford’s presence because the Syrian military wouldn’t fire on crowds with Western officials in attendance. “Thank u Mr. Ford, US Ambassador, in Hama among the protesters, and welcomed with flowers,” another Syrian activist said on Twitter.

For weeks, Republicans like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and GOP presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty have been attacking President Obama for not doing enough in Syria, saying that he should pull Ford out of Syria. “Words must be backed by clear, firm actions,” Rubio said, “we should now sever ties and recall the ambassador at once.” But if Republicans had their way, Ford never would have even made it to Syria. As Laura Rozen notes, Senate Republicans last year refused to confirm Ford, and several other ambassadors the President nominated, and Obama was forced to issue recess appointments.

Indeed, on May 14, 2010, twelve GOP senators sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton questioning the wisdom of sending an envoy to Damascus:

We are writing you to express our deep concern about the ongoing Syrian support for terrorism. … If engagement precludes prompt punitive action in response to egregious behavior, such as the transfer of long range missiles to a terrorist group, then it is not only a concession but also a reward for such behavior.

One official called Ford’s visit to Hama “gutsy,” and the move reportedly “was endorsed by the highest levels of the Obama administration.” Washington Institute for Near East Policy Syria expert David Schenker called Ford’s visit “impressive.” While Schenker said that Washington should be more vocal in support of Syria’s democracy movement, he told the Voice of America:

It is a significant statement for him to go to Hama and seemingly cast his lot, and the American lot, with the people of Syria, to provide some protection for the people of Hama, and to demonstrate where the United States’ sympathies and policies lie.

Rozen notes that Clinton criticized the notion of not talking to adversaries. “Diplomacy would be easy if we only had to talk to our friends,” she said.

“Having an ambassador in Syria has allowed us to be in Syria,” White House spokesperson Jay Carney said recently, adding, “I think that has been a useful avenue for us to pursue in terms of communicating our points of view.” But as Israel Policy Forum’s David Halperin said of the GOP’s plans to block Obama’s ambassador appointments, “Republicans think that U.S. interests are better advanced by not showing up.”