Donald Trump says US must continue 'longest war in American history' in Afghanistan - UPI.com
UPI reports: "President Donald Trump gave a speech on Monday that detailed his
strategy for the U.S. military in the ongoing Afghanistan war. [...]
Trump plans to increase troop levels in Afghanistan by approximately
4,000 troops.
That's about a 50 percent increase of current levels. There are 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in an operation to train,
advise and assist Afghan security forces."
Comment: This is really surreal. If someone would have told us in 2001 that the war in Afghanistan would last for 17 years (and counting) would anyone have believed it? I was just watching a WWII film and, of course, we know that particular war (a world war) lasted six years. I'm sure that must have felt like a long time to those fighting but yes, only six years. What is the difference? I would say that the difference is that WWII was a total war in which countries were fighting for survival, for their right to exist. We call Afghanistan a war, but it's not a war in that sense. Unlike WWII this war in Afghanistan is a distant war fought by a volunteer force and without any major significant impact on the economy or the culture. For most Americans life goes on as usual, they have no personal connection to the war and are not asked to sacrifice of even care much at all about it. In that context and in that manner, the U.S. can fight wars that go on for decades without resolution. Is that really the way we want to do it?
2 comments:
My brother pointed out to me that the U.S.A. stopped winning wars after the organization of the United Nations...Could there be a connection?
Hi Michael, thanks for your comment. There may be something to that. I think it's mostly a question of political will and not military power. The politicians like to say they are "doing something" about a conflict by sending troops but unwilling to send the numbers of troops required to win. So it just drags out. The other side to the problem is the complexity of fighting insurgent groups in failed states who may receive support from neighboring states. In many ways, an old fashioned war against a state with a professional military is easier to fight than a modern war against insurgents and terrorists. It's a difficult problem. Trump has made his decision so it looks like the U.S. will be fighting in Afghanistan for years to come. I pray it was the right call.
Post a Comment