May 12, 2017
Welcome to the Forever War
According to legend, Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky famously said that “you may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.”
So it is with Afghanistan and the Trump administration, which is reportedlyconsidering a recommitment to the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan, as well as the deployment of 3,500 more U.S. troops. None of this squares with President Donald Trump’s campaign pledge of an “America First” foreign policy, nor with his healthy skepticism of how America’s long wars in Iraq and Afghanistanwere managed under Presidents Bush and Obama. No matter. The Afghanistan conflict grinds on, and although Trump may not be interested in the details of this war, the war is interested in Trump.
However, before the U.S. reaffirms its commitment to the “forever war” in Afghanistan, we must confront some fundamental questions about what we are doing fighting (and dying) there and whether these new troop commitments will accomplish anything good. If Trump and his generals cannot resolve these questions, they should not commit more troops to fight in Afghanistan.
Read the full article at Slate.
More from CNAS
-
The Iranian Missile Strike Did Far More Damage Than Trump Admits
Commentary
Over 100 American soldiers have been treated for traumatic brain injuries following Iran’s missile strike on Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq. The strike came in retaliation f...
By Loren DeJonge Schulman & Paul Scharre
-
Conclusions from CNAS’ New York State Minority Veterans Needs Assessment
Congressional Testimony
Submitted Written Testimony Despite criticisms VA is an excellent source of health care, boasting low wait times, high quality, cultural competence, and low cost for many vete...
By Kayla M. Williams
-
Grappling With the Costs of Combat
Podcast
Kayla Williams joins Ilan Goldenberg to discuss her time serving as an Arabic linguist in the U.S. Army and the human costs of armed conflict....
By Ilan Goldenberg & Kayla M. Williams
-
Politics of the US-Mideast Peace Plan
Podcast
Ilan Goldenberg, Director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security and Ellen Laipson, Professor and Director of the Center for Security Po...
By Ilan Goldenberg
