Syria and Afghanistan pullouts mean new phase of international relations
Posted by Josh Taylor / December 22, 2018
Officials say that the United States is to pull half of its 14,000 troops out of Afghanistan, according to the Associated Press:
President Donald Trump has long pushed to pull troops out of Afghanistan, considering the war a lost cause. But earlier this year, he was persuaded by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and others military leaders to keep troops on the ground to pressure the Taliban and battle a stubborn Islamic State insurgency. Officials said the latest White House push for withdrawal was another key factor in Mattis’ decision to resign Thursday.
The move has led to a sense of betrayal in Afghanistan.
Most officials and diplomats said they would only speak on condition of anonymity because they were still assessing the situation. But many were less concerned about the reduction in troop numbers — though struggling Afghan forces still need hands-on help — than by the way news of it emerged, which they said appeared to undermine not only the Afghan government, but also some of the most senior American officials working for a peace deal.
This pullout comes after Trump withdrew troops from Syria despite his top aides’ advice. Observers are worried that these moves signal a larger change in U.S. international policies:
“Who will persuade Trump not to withdraw from NATO?” Daniel B. Shapiro, the former American ambassador to Israel, asked in a tweet on Friday as the implications of the Mattis resignation sunk in. “Really scary possibility, no longer theoretical.”
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