Erik Goepner and Trevor Thrall, War On the Rocks: Time to Step Back from the War on Terror
President Donald Trump has expanded every aspect of the war on terror he inherited from his two predecessors. In his first nine months Trump has ordered a renewed surge in Afghanistan, increased the tempo of drone strikes, and granted the military greater autonomy. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, the Taliban now control or contest more districts than at any point since 2001. And last week four American soldiers died in Niger, an increasingly active front in the war on terror. Americans are now fighting — and dying — in at least eight different countries across the Middle East and Central Asia. The deaths of American forces are a particularly sobering reminder of the war’s high costs and should prompt people to ask whether the costs are worth it.
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WNU Editor: Instinctively .... my answer is to say yes .... that now is the time to step back from the War On Terror. ISIS is on the brink of defeat. The other terror groups are still active .... but that will probably be the case for a long time with or without U.S. involvement. And while Afghanistan is still a problem .... it will still a problem a decade from now. But while stepping back we should also engage in a debate on this issue, to prioritise what is in the U.S. national security interest, and to plan and allocate the necessary resources. Will this happen .... I do not know. But after almost 16 years .... a re-evaluation is definitely needed.
1 comment:
I disagree. Bring the troops home and spend the money on securing the borders and helping AMERICANS. I’m all for killing Anyone who is either radicalized or even semi radicalized, but we are doing nothing over there other than spending our tax dollars helping some Afghani no one cares about.
If Afghanistan disappears tomorrow no one would loose sleep about it
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