Afghanistan: There Is Only One Solution
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- Published on Sunday, 27 August 2017 00:15
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A Socialist Project e-bulletin .... No. 1474 .... August 27, 2017
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Afghanistan: There Is Only One Solution
Lindsey German
Donald Trump spent a lot of time when campaigning last year denouncing Barack Obama's foreign policy. Yet within months of entering the White House he too is pledging to continue the war in Afghanistan, sending more troops not to engage in nation building as he puts it but to "kill more terrorists." It is hard to see what another estimated 4000 troops will do that Obama's surge didn't do, or how he thinks that this move will in any way improve the fortunes of the U.S. backed government which is losing the war against the Taliban.
For those who are too young to remember the origins of this war, or to whom its origins are lost... in the mists of time, it is worth restating that it was the first in the series of wars dubbed the War on Terror, launched by George W. Bush back in 2001, which was rapidly deemed a success since it overthrew the Taliban government. Since then, despite repeated declarations of turning points and victories, of stabilisation of the country, the war continues. Far from being defeated, it is estimated that the Taliban now control around half the country.
Trump's claim that the U.S. will kill more terrorists will no doubt be achieved, but at what cost? Earlier this year, he authorised the dropping of the "mother of all bombs" in Afghanistan, which undoubtedly killed many people. Yet only six months later he is faced with the prospect of escalating the war again with absolutely no likelihood that this will succeed.
