WAR IN
AFGHANISTAN
The Future of the War:
Why the Coalition should stay
After US President George W. Bush decided to proceed with the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the declared goal of the Coalition was the destruction of the Taliban and the installment of a Democratic government in Afghanistan. The years passed, casualties and massacres mounted up, and now the USA are close to leaving Hamid Karzai’s government on its own against a Taliban that although forced into provincial regions, is still far from eradicated. Although the removal of American and foreign troops might be in the interest of Karzai and his closest accomplices, it is certainly not for the benefit of the Afghan people, who are about to be once again abandoned by the West.
As of December 2013, the Taliban is cornered, forced into hiding and dependent on IEDs to wage war on American forces. This is no time to pull out Afghanistan, but to stay in and finish the job. Otherwise, the world will assume that America does not finish the wars it starts. Imagine, for a moment, what China, Iran and North Korea will think when they learn America is about to leave Afghanistan to deal with the Taliban on its own – Not only does this provide America’s enemies with evidence to support claims against America; it goes against the very moral foundations the American society is founded on. When taking America into World War I, President
Scottish historian Niall Ferguson mentions in his work Colossus that parts of the world would benefit from American rule. In other words, he considers America to be a benevolent hegemon, a source of order and stability in the 21st century. While America’s decision to invade Afghanistan and defeat the Taliban certainly fits Ferguson’s recommendations, the truth is that by leaving Afghans to fend for themselves and going home, America proves that it is no benevolent hegemon, but really just another invader no better than the Soviet Union was in the 1980s. While it might be tempting to assume that America has no choice
The military and police forces of Afghanistan, despite improvements since the beginning of Karzai’s government, are not yet capable of fighting and defeating the Taliban on their own. America provides the technology and aerial surveillance capacity that maintain Afghan forces a step ahead of the Taliban. America’s retreat is likely to result in a more even playing field in the long run, allowing a strong Taliban to resurge. That does not mean, however, that American soldiers should remain in Afghan soil indefinitely. In fact, that is the exact reason the war should be won as soon as possible, as easily as possible, which leads to another side of the problem – the Taliban’s use of Pakistani territory as a safe haven. If Washington actually wants to win this, it has to choose between striking a deal with Pakistani authorities and simply ignoring Pakistani sovereignty, as was the case with the assassination of Bin Laden. Considering how the relationship between Pakistan and Afghans has changed over time – the notorious Pakistani intelligence service used to support the Taliban and contributed to its rise – it would be wise to negotiate for Pakistani support against the Taliban, thus changing history and the destiny of the war. Most importantly, however, victory in Afghanistan will be contingent upon American willingness not to train, equip or donate, but to commit lives and resources to the cause of maintaining stability and Democracy in Afghanistan.
As to those who claim America should stop interfering in foreign affairs and resign herself to dealing with national troubles; that is a perfectly acceptable course of action. What is absolutely not acceptable is that America invade an underdeveloped nation, destabilize its government and install a US-backed Democracy in its place, only to then go home and allow the country to plunge back into war, chaos and barbarity. While the American presence in Afghanistan may not be entirely positive for the region, it is certainly better than the Taliban, who preaches no education for women, no elections, the stoning of “infidels”, and many other terrible things. Considering that Karzai will probably seek a deal with the Taliban to ensure the continuity of his government, one can conclude that the American withdrawal will cause a vacuum of power in the region which Kabul’s troops will be unable to fill. It seems that the United States of America might be close to forgetting what they represent to the rest of the world, and to themselves. In the immortal words of the Declaration of Independence; Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness. If America chooses to abandon Afghans to their fate, then the USA are no longer fit to interfere in global affairs.
but to leave so that Afghanistan does not become a “second Vietnam”, a comparison between the Vietnam and Afghanistan wars reveals an important difference: Unlike in Vietnam, America has a clear chance of winning the war in the next five years. However, just like in Vietnam, as the approval of the war declines, the government is more likely to pull out and abandon its Afghan allies in order to get more votes.
Woodrow Wilson claimed he was waging war to “make the world safe for Democracy.” It seems that at least according to Barack Obama, Democracy is not worth it anymore.