Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan
In the continuing evolution of the What Not to Read category, I'm going to rebut President Obama's recent proclamation about the war in Afghanistan:
"But we must never forget. This is not a war of choice...This is a war of necessity. Those who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again."
It was a war of necessity. But the decision to continue indefinitely is a choice.
Afghanistan was a necessity because Al Qaeda was based in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda is now based in Pakistan, and has been based there for the past few years. The only real interest the U.S. has in Afghanistan now is to prevent it from again becoming a haven for terrorists who are committed to attacking America.
But this does not require occupation or democracy. Furthermore, even if Afghanistan is sealed off from being a terrorist haven, and if Pakistan successfully evicts Al Qaeda from its frontier provinces, there are still many places that Al Qaeda could regroup to-- such as Yemen or Somalia.
Click to "Read More" to continue --->
"But we must never forget. This is not a war of choice...This is a war of necessity. Those who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again."
It was a war of necessity. But the decision to continue indefinitely is a choice.
Afghanistan was a necessity because Al Qaeda was based in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda is now based in Pakistan, and has been based there for the past few years. The only real interest the U.S. has in Afghanistan now is to prevent it from again becoming a haven for terrorists who are committed to attacking America.
But this does not require occupation or democracy. Furthermore, even if Afghanistan is sealed off from being a terrorist haven, and if Pakistan successfully evicts Al Qaeda from its frontier provinces, there are still many places that Al Qaeda could regroup to-- such as Yemen or Somalia.
Click to "Read More" to continue --->
The U.S. simply cannot go around the world preemptively occupying countries to prevent potentially emergent threats. That type of strategy is what brought us the War in Iraq. As one of Vice President Biden's former advisors once explained to me, that is how you play whack-a-mole, not how you conduct prudent foreign policy.
The psychological recovery from the Bush Administration's reckless expansion of what defines national interest will be slow and difficult. Regardless, it is useful that remember that America, with oceans to its East and West, and friends to its North and South, has hardly ever had to fight a war of necessity.
To paraphrase Dean Acheson, any argument for sending troops into a warzone must be clearer than the truth. Obama knows this. The decision to increase our commitment to the war in Afghanistan is a choice. And I'm not convinced that it's the right one.
- Jon
The psychological recovery from the Bush Administration's reckless expansion of what defines national interest will be slow and difficult. Regardless, it is useful that remember that America, with oceans to its East and West, and friends to its North and South, has hardly ever had to fight a war of necessity.
To paraphrase Dean Acheson, any argument for sending troops into a warzone must be clearer than the truth. Obama knows this. The decision to increase our commitment to the war in Afghanistan is a choice. And I'm not convinced that it's the right one.
- Jon
