Some 18 years into the US war in Afghanistan, the possibility of a peace
deal with the Taliban has been reported as growing. Though some
specifics have not been offered, several reports have suggested an
announcement could be made any day now.
But if America’s longest war has one thing, it’s momentum, and that’s
got members of Trump’s team, as well as Republican lawmakers, pushing back against the idea of any sort of deal with the Taliban.
It’s not clear how a deal is even possible given President Trump’s pledge to “always”
have a presence in Afghanistan, which is certainly a non-starter for
the Taliban. Officials are emphasizing their mistrust in the Taliban,
leaving open the question of how negotiator Zalmay Khalilizad is going
to finalize this.
Not that it’s all bad news. President Trump has also been touting the “good negotiations”
had with the Taliban, even while saying no deal is ready. Even if his
position isn’t consistent with making a deal, Trump at the very least
isn’t turning against the talks.
Moreover, reports are that one of the biggest opponents of ending any war, John Bolton, has been sidelined amid growing tensions
between him and Trump. This should at least keep Bolton from directly
sabotaging the process, something he’s been accused of in other big
diplomatic efforts.
So once again the *only* thing one can say about Trump is – he’s contradicting himself on a daily basis… again.
So we listen to Trump why? Who cares what he says? He’s a BS artist, nothing more. What matters is what *actually happens*.
Everything’s a wild card at this point.
The “successful” way out of the Afghanistan War:
“Just get on the bus, Gus –
No need to discuss much –
Just drop off the key, Lee-
And set yourself free.”
https://ericmargolis.com/2019/08/time-to-liberate-afghanistan/
I suggest if peace activists and the likes of Lindsey Graham read this, perhaps their attitude will take a dramatic policy turn. That attitude is what we’ve be instructed to believe about the Taliban. And Osama bin Laden.
It may jell into your opinion about what individuals and groups were responsible for 9/11.
Yet another case where Trump has “beautiful” negotiations, that don’t go anywhere. He seems to say a lot, and not accomplish much of anything. I can’t stand all the winning. Funny that his base wanted to lock up HRC for storing emails on an unsecured server, but this dipsh*t has no problem “tweeting” photos from classified briefings to the general public, no hacking required! Not the first time he’s been accused of stupidly revealing classified information, either, but who cares, amirite?
Anything coming from Trump must be deeply discounted. All the beautiful negotiations , from North Korea to China and Afghanistan are going nowhere. This is a strategy of sorts. He gets a “win” in North Korea, without having to do anything except give South Korea a little break from warmongering. He had a wrong strategy with China and when in a pickle announces negotiations are on the way even though Chinese never said such a thing. In Afghanistan , any time now. In Syria, stuck in the mud. Who knows what is happening with Iran after we broke the deal, who knows the status of arms race after breaking that deal, or Venezuela high flying new president, or in Libya where two of presumably our governments are at war. And our two allies are at war in Yemen.
As for Afghanistan, I do not recall anybody dying and leaving us Afghanistan in inheritance. What difference it makes if we trust Taliban or not — the place is theirs, let them do what they please.
Trump’s negotiation method involves creating a monster crisis, and then offering a way out on his terms. I have seen this done with success in law and business. I’ve even done it myself sometimes.
It is not a universal method. It has particular application.
It really does not fit international issues, because the other side generally is too hard and calculating, and has too many options other than the way out offered. As Clint Eastwood says in Gran Torino, “Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while you shouldn’t have [messed] with?” That’s the leadership of another nation, with its own army and allies and such.
So far, Trump has failed to turn even one crisis he created into a real settlement on terms he wanted. That’s a total bust, after more than half his term. It isn’t working.
Then again, when it works, it is a sudden collapse of the other side. He’s still expecting that. It might even happen — once, somewhere. Maybe. I’m not counting on it.
We should also remember that in at least some cases, Trump does not want a settlement. He wants the crisis. He may want to separate from China, not settle with it. Some around him want war with Iran, not a better deal.
As long as the MIC continues funding Wash., wars will continue. After all, all those munitions need being destroyed somewhere so new ones can continually be manufactured. Afghanistan is the dream country to wage an endless war since the Afghans have never surrendered to any outside force. Wash. tried the same thing in Vietnam, but it didn’t go as planned. This goes back to the McGeorge doctrine of “war without end.” See link:
https://newrepublic.com/article/92235/george-bundy-vietnam-war