October will mark the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invading Afghanistan to remove the shrines of Al Qaeda and its Taliban sponsors, and it is understandable that Americans are eager to move forward. But the difficulties involved in the current U.S. commitment are nothing compared to the chaos that would follow an abrupt exit.
In February 2020, the Trump Administration and the Taliban signed a withdrawal agreement that requires all U.S. troops to leave before May 1, 2021. The movement was driven by Donald’s internal political instincts. Trump, not by a strategic calculation. President Biden is cautiously reviewing this decision.
“I am very pleased with what the Biden Administration is proposing for Afghanistan,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday. “They are re-evaluating our presence in Afghanistan to keep the footprint low, but not to walk away and lose all the gains we have made.” The White House has not announced any final decision, but Graham expects the United States to continue beyond May.
Many isolationist-leaning Democrats and Republicans call attention to their calls for an immediate end to “wars forever.” But Mr.’s comments. Graham recalls that there is also broad support for a more careful approach. The question is not whether the US will leave Afghanistan, but whether it will do so responsibly.
The bipartisan study group on Afghanistan has presented a compelling case of how to do so in its report to Congress this month. The group – former generals, senators, ambassadors and national security officials – suggests replacing Trump’s timeline with a conditions-based approach. “A withdrawal would not only leave the United States more vulnerable to terrorist threats,” the report says, “it would also have catastrophic effects in Afghanistan and the region that would not be in the interest of any of the key players, including the Taliban. “.