Opinion

New plan in Afghanistan sounds like old plan

A U.S. armored vehicle patrols in Kabul, Afghanistan Aug. 23. In a national address, U.S. President Donald Trump reversed his past calls for a speedy exit and recommitted the United States to the 16-year-old conflict, saying U.S. troops must “fight to win.” less A U.S. armored vehicle patrols in Kabul, Afghanistan Aug. 23. In a national address, U.S. President Donald Trump reversed his past calls for a speedy exit and recommitted the United States to the 16-year-old ... more Photo: Rahmat Gul /Associated Press Photo: Rahmat Gul /Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close New plan in Afghanistan sounds like old plan 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Long a proponent of withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan, President Donald Trump has instead pledged more service members to the region.

In announcing his strategy, Trump portrayed a break from his predecessor, Barack Obama. But in substance, the new strategy looks remarkably similar to the old one. More soldiers will be deployed to train Afghan forces, and diplomatic pressure might again be applied to neighboring Pakistan because it harbors terrorists — with the twist of getting help from India, which angers Pakistan.

Trump did not specify how many troops will be deployed, how long they would serve, or what would constitute success in the region. Instead, he simply said the surge would not be a “blank check” for American involvement.

News reports suggest as many as 4,000 additional troops could join the 8,400 Americans already in Afghanistan.

Trump’s rationale for the surge, despite his initial instinct to withdraw our troops, is to stabilize the region and limit terrorism.

We understand the rationale, but there is still that same sense of open-endedness that were the hallmarks of the previous two administrations.

Americans are rightfully weary of our prolonged involvement in Afghanistan. The war has spanned 16 years and three presidencies. Thousands of American troops have been killed. Yet we have little to show for this sacrifice. When America has reduced troop levels, the Taliban has gained ground. The Afghan government remains weak and corrupt. Pakistan remains a haven for terrorists (remember, Osama bin Laden was living there).

Most military and Afghanistan experts have said this modest troop surge could stabilize the region in the near term, but it won’t change the game. When the United States deployed 100,000 soldiers to Afghanistan under Obama, the Taliban was not compelled to negotiate a peace agreement. Why would 4,000 more troops suddenly inspire diplomacy?

This speaks to the quagmire of Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, analysts expect the CIA to step up its covert counterterrorism campaign there, but the role of diplomacy remains unclear. The State Department has closed the office of its special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

There are short-term merits to this troop surge, but without any compelling diplomacy to engage the Taliban, Afghanistan remains a long-term quagmire. At some point, America will have to withdraw from Afghanistan. At some point, the Afghan people will have to resolve their own problems. This “new” strategy does not seem to envision this.