Indefinite war: in the USA they suggested switching from Afghanistan to “threats” from Russia and China

The Center for American Progress (CAP) called on Washington to end the war in Afghanistan and invest resources in the fight against more pressing threats. The Islamic Republic is no longer an important issue for the United States, while “aggressive” Russia, strengthening China and climate change have become new challenges, according to the organization.

“Afghanistan has ceased to be the most urgent or important national security issue facing the United States. America is facing a wide range of other threats, including China’s strengthening position, Russian aggression and climate change, which require a serious investment of resources and increased attention from the United States in the coming years, ”the report of the analytical center, which was reviewed by RT, says.

It is worth noting that among the sponsors of the organization are the George Soros Open Society Fund *, Rockefeller and Ford Foundations. And it is headed by Nira Tanden, who was a confidant of the Clinton family.

As explained in the center’s report, there are currently 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan. This is the largest deployment of United States troops in the world. At the same time, Washington’s annual financial investments in the republic amount to approximately $ 45 billion.

In late July, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the White House intends to reduce operational activities in Afghanistan, but did not name a clear timetable for the withdrawal of troops. Moreover, as the American leader Donald Trump later explained, even if the main contingent is withdrawn, the United States should still maintain its military presence in the republic.

It is noteworthy that during the election campaign in 2016, Trump called for the withdrawal of American soldiers from Afghanistan, but the very next year he himself increased the number of military personnel and promised to expand their powers in the region.

• Donald Trump
• Reuters
• © Tasos Katopodis / File

Reason for domestic political debate

The topic of Afghanistan is again raised on the eve of the presidential election in 2020, says Yuri Rogulev, director of the Franklin Roosevelt Foundation for the Study of the United States of America. In his opinion, the situation in the republic has become so complicated that no matter what decision the White House makes regarding the military contingent, it will be criticized.

“Democrats will try to use this topic against the Republicans, but this approach is unlikely to be successful for themselves. If Trump would decide to withdraw his troops from Afghanistan, as Barack Obama wanted to do at one time, he will immediately receive a flurry of criticism that he would jeopardize US security and abandon the unfinished business. So in any case, the president’s policy will be criticized, ”he said in an interview with RT.

Such analytical centers are often used in the domestic political struggle, therefore their conclusions should be skeptical, the political scientist added. In this case, in his opinion, the authors of the report are simply engaged in demagogy.

Democrats have already begun to publicly discuss the conflict in Afghanistan as part of the election campaign. So, during a televised debate among candidates for the post of head of the United States, several participants immediately spoke out for an early withdrawal of troops. And former vice president Joe Biden - one of the candidates - said that they should not have been sent there at all.

The consequences of the "perpetual" war

No matter what strategy Washington adheres to, there are no guarantees that it will succeed in turning Afghanistan into a safe and democratic country, the authors of the report note.

Analysts also cite the effects of the United States military presence in Afghanistan. According to them, almost 20 years of conflict have undermined the military preparedness of the American army. If the "perpetual" war continues, the military will not be able to pay enough attention to the "containment" of Moscow and Beijing.

“Given the urgent need to strengthen US positions in Asia and Europe to deter threats from Russia and China and adapt the armed forces to new threats, for example, in cyberspace, it will not be easy for the US military to pay due attention to these threats and allocate resources, while continuing to maintain an unlimited a war involving approximately 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan, ”the report emphasizes.

As Vladimir Bruter, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies, noted, the USA is striving for hegemony in the world, in connection with which American experts once again mentioned the supposedly “Russian threat”.

“Russia's capabilities have become such that the United States is forced to limit the activity of its foreign policy. So that Russia does not become even stronger, so that its capabilities do not extend to Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, the Baltic states and so on, the idea of ​​a “Russian threat” to the United States was invented. This is a reason to contain Moscow, ”he said .

The report also says that diplomatic energy is being spent on the war in Afghanistan, the conflict distracts the United States from more powerful terrorist threats and requires investments that could be directed to the internal development of the United States.

Recall that the American authorities introduced troops into Afghanistan in 2001 on the basis of a UN Security Council resolution adopted the day after the September 11 attacks. Within the framework of Operation Enduring Freedom, they intended to defeat the Taliban **, but failed to achieve this goal: the radicals continue to operate so far. In 2014, the NATO operation "Strong Support" was replaced by the US operation, the overwhelming majority of which are American forces.

• The place of the explosion in Kabul. Archive photo
• Reuters
• © Mohammad Ismail

Transition to “aggressive” diplomacy

The Center for American Progress proposes to change the strategy of relations with Afghanistan. In particular, in addition to the immediate start of the withdrawal of troops, experts recommend more “aggressive" diplomacy, which will lead to political agreements between Kabul and the Taliban. In addition, Washington is advised to exert pressure on the Afghan authorities by speculating on US financial support.

“Now the United States should seek the necessary concessions from Kabul on the issue of the separation of powers. The US should make it clear that these compromises are necessary if the Afghan government wants to continue to receive financial and political support from the United States after the withdrawal of troops, ”analysts write.

Meanwhile, the Afghan authorities oppose the intervention of other states in the affairs of their country. This was announced on August 11 by the president of the republic, Ashraf Ghani.

“Our future cannot be determined by someone from outside in the capitals of our friends, enemies or neighbors. The fate of Afghanistan will be decided here at home. We do not want outside interference in our affairs, ”he said.

Meanwhile, the United States is in talks with the Taliban, whose ultimate goal is to conclude a peace treaty. At the same time, the Taliban are demanding that the United States withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

On August 22, the parties began another round of dialogue in Qatar. According to the head of the American delegation, Zalmay Khalilzad, the United States and the Taliban are unanimous that the future of the republic should be decided during inter-Afghan negotiations. At the same time, he added that the States intend to support the Afghan army even after an agreement with the Taliban.

Despite attempts to resolve the conflict in Afghanistan, the United States was in a hopeless situation, said political analyst Yuri Rogulev. Washington tried all the options - reduced and increased the contingent, but the crisis only dragged on. A complete withdrawal of troops can also lead to irreversible consequences, since the republic now has not only the Taliban, but also radicals from Syria and Iraq, where the struggle against the “Islamic State” was conducted ***, the expert explained.

“Already now we see that terrorist acts are taking place in Afghanistan that are committed not by the Taliban, but by other radical forces. The situation is very tense. And what about the United States, which is very bogged down there? Any outcome will be bad. Even if they come out completely, they will be shot after them. This is a complete loss. If they remain, and the conflict worsens, they will also lose. So the situation for the USA is stalemate and in any case it will not end well for them, ”he concluded.

* The Open Society Foundation is an organization whose activity is deemed undesirable in the territory of the Russian Federation by decision of the General Prosecutor's Office of 11/26/2015

** “Taliban” - the organization was recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of February 14, 2003.

*** “Islamic State” (ISIS, ISIS) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.