20 Years of Justifying Afghanistan: Donald Trump Edition
Instead of pretending to know what's going in Afghanistan or arrogantly trying to predict the country's future, why not take the time to reminisce about past and current America presidents trying to justify being there?
Since we're talking about 20 years and multiple presidents (Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden) this will be broken up into four parts For this post: Donald Trump. Keep in mind that not every speech or even every speech about the country in question is being referenced, just some notable ones where the justification is mentioned.
Because justifications vary, let's use a key:
- Humanitarian ("People are getting hurt!")
- Economic ("America/American businesses are either losing money because we're not taking action, or can gain money by taking action."
- Political ("This will give us an advantage with our political adversaries," or "We must spread liberty/freedom.")
- Military/Strategic ("Better to fight them over there than fight them over here.")
- More Than One of the Above.
- (Observations that I may want to add).
Donald Trump (2016 - 2020)
The United States and our allies are working together throughout the Middle East to crush the loser terrorists and stop the reemergence of safe havens they use to launch attacks on all of our people.
Last month, I announced a new strategy for victory in the fight against this evil in Afghanistan. From now on, our security interests will dictate the length and scope of military operations, not arbitrary benchmarks and timetables set up by politicians.
I have also totally changed the rules of engagement in our fight against the Taliban and other terrorist groups. In Syria and Iraq, we have made big gains toward lasting defeat of ISIS. In fact, our country has achieved more against ISIS in the last eight months than it has in many, many years combined.
(First of many hints that militarily-speaking, Trump's approach is basically, "The opposite of that Obama guy.")
Following my trip to the Middle East, the Gulf states and other Muslim-majority nations joined together to fight radical Islamist ideology and terrorist financing. We have dealt ISIS one devastating defeat after another. The coalition to defeat ISIS has now recaptured almost 100 percent of the land once held by these terrorists in Iraq and Syria. Great job. (Applause.) Great job. Really good. Thank you. Thank you. We have a great military. We’re now chasing them wherever they flee, and we will not let them into the United States.
In Afghanistan, our troops are no longer undermined by artificial timelines, and we no longer tell our enemies of our plans. We are beginning to see results on the battlefield. And we have made clear to Pakistan that while we desire continued partnership, we must see decisive action against terrorist groups operating on their territory. And we make massive payments every year to Pakistan. They have to help.
Our efforts to strengthen the NATO Alliance set the stage for significant increases in member contributions, with tens of billions of dollars more pouring in because I would not allow member states to be delinquent in the payment while we guarantee their safety and are willing to fight wars for them. We have made clear that countries that are immensely wealthy should reimburse the United States for the cost of defending them. This is a major departure from the past, but a fair and necessary one—necessary for our country, necessary for our taxpayer, necessary for our own thought process.
(Trump is -in a rare instance- channeling Obama by relying on Pakistan to help in keeping Afghanistan terrorist-free, but he can't help but highlight America is footing the bill.)
We’re also working with allies and partners to destroy jihadist terrorist organizations such as ISIS, and very successfully so. The United States is leading a very broad coalition to deny terrorists control of their territory and populations, to cut off their funding, and to discredit their wicked ideology.
I am pleased to report that the coalition to defeat ISIS has retaken almost 100 percent of the territory once held by these killers in Iraq and Syria. There is still more fighting and work to be done and to consolidate our gains. We are committed to ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists who want to commit mass murder to our civilian populations. I want to thank those nations represented here today that have joined in these crucial efforts. You are not just securing your own citizens, but saving lives and restoring hope for millions and millions of people.
When it comes to terrorism, we will do whatever is necessary to protect our nation. We will defend our citizens and our borders. We are also securing our immigration system, as a matter of both national and economic security.
America is a cutting-edge economy, but our immigration system is stuck in the past. We must replace our current system of extended-family chain migration with a merit-based system of admissions that selects new arrivals based on their ability to contribute to our economy, to support themselves financially, and to strengthen our country.
(This is Trump at his most humanitarian. Talk about protecting, and even the reference to destroying something was for an organization, not a people. In fact, most of Trump's ire is focused on immigrants.)
I am also asking the Congress to ensure that, in the fight against ISIS and al-Qa’ida, we continue to have all necessary power to detain terrorists—wherever we chase them down.
Our warriors in Afghanistan also have new rules of engagement. Along with their heroic Afghan partners, our military is no longer undermined by artificial timelines, and we no longer tell our enemies our plans.
Last month, I also took an action endorsed unanimously by the Senate just months before: I recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Shortly afterwards, dozens of countries voted in the United Nations General Assembly against America’s sovereign right to make this recognition. American taxpayers generously send those same countries billions of dollars in aid every year.
(Trump starts to refer to "soldiers" and "troops" as "warriors" now. Not sure if this is based on how he sees them now, if if the speechwriters decided to make some edits. Also, another swipe at Obama's idea to have a timetable.)
We’ve removed unnecessary restraints on our warfighters in Afghanistan. Those who risk their life and limb for our country, they deserve rules of engagement that give them the best opportunity to finally defeat the enemy. (Applause.) And we’re making—for the first time in years, we’re making a lot of progress in Afghanistan.
One of the most complex set of challenges we face is in the Middle East.
Our approach is based on principled realism—not discredited theories that have failed for decades to yield progress. For this reason, my administration recognized the true capital of Israel—and proudly opened the American Embassy in Jerusalem.
Our brave troops have now been fighting in the Middle East for almost 19 years. In Afghanistan and Iraq, nearly 7,000 American heroes have given their lives. More than 52,000 Americans have been badly wounded. We have spent more than $7 trillion in the Middle East.
As a candidate for President, I pledged a new approach. Great nations do not fight endless wars.
When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria. Today, we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers.
Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of ISIS, it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home.
I have also accelerated our negotiations to reach a political settlement in Afghanistan. Our troops have fought with unmatched valor—and thanks to their bravery, we are now able to pursue a political solution to this long and bloody conflict.
In Afghanistan, my administration is holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban. As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism. We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement—but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace.
(This is closest we get to Trump the Peace-Loving Hippy. Of course, there's the chance that since Trump wasn't benefitting financially, politically or personally, he had no reason to see the war continue. Regardless, this is the biggest shift to justifying getting OUT of Afghanistan as opposed to STAYING.)
Around the world, our message is clear: America’s goal is lasting, America’s goal is harmony, and America’s goal is not to go with these endless wars — wars that never end.
With that goal in mind, my administration is also pursuing the hope of a brighter future in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the Taliban has chosen to continue their savage attacks. And we will continue to work with our coalition of Afghan partners to stamp out terrorism, and we will never stop working to make peace a reality.
(If anyone ever claims that Trump never talked about "harmony" or "peace," should them this speech. Note also that he's relying on "Afghan partners" to deal with the Taliban going forward, as opposed to a troop surge.)
As we defend American lives, we are working to end America’s wars in the Middle East.
In Afghanistan, the determination and valor of our warfighters has allowed us to make tremendous progress, and peace talks are now underway. I am not looking to kill hundreds of thousands of people in Afghanistan, many of them totally innocent. It is also not our function to serve other nations as law enforcement agencies. These are warfighters that we have—the best in the world—and they either want to fight to win or not fight at all. We are working to finally end America’s longest war and bring our troops back home. (Applause.)
War places a heavy burden on our nation’s extraordinary military families, especially spouses like Amy Williams from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and her two children—six-year-old Elliana and three-year-old Rowan. Amy works full-time and volunteers countless hours helping other military families. For the past seven months, she has done it all while her husband, Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams, is in Afghanistan on his fourth deployment in the Middle East. Amy’s kids haven’t seen their father’s face in many months. Amy, your family’s sacrifice makes it possible for all of our families to live in safety and in peace, and we want to thank you. Thank you, Amy. (Applause.)
But, Amy, there is one more thing. Tonight, we have a very special surprise. I am thrilled to inform you that your husband is back from deployment. He is here with us tonight, and we couldn’t keep him waiting any longer. (Applause.)
(Trump lays out his war philosophy: "Fight to Win, or [Don't] Fight at All." A shame it took so long for him to formulate it)
Republicans believe access to education is a civil right. It’s a civil right. 20 of 20 of the most dangerous cities in America are controlled by Democrats. Think of that, 20 of 20. And so is nearly every major city with a child poverty rate that’s over 30%. They’re controlled by Democrats. We can name every one of them. The murder rate in Baltimore and Detroit is higher than El Salvador, Guatemala, or even Afghanistan. How are they doing, the Democrats running those cities? Your whole country will be like that. In 2018 alone, our police arrested nearly 12,000 people for murder and manslaughter, 25,000 people for rape, and nearly 1.5 million for assault, violent assault. The Democrats’ push against our police will drive up crime and drive up costs at levels you’d never believe. Thousands of innocent lives will be lost. As President, I will always support the incredible men and women of law enforcement.
(This highlights how manipulative Trump can be. While most of his talk regarding Afghanistan was about leaving it, achieving peace and ending "endless wars" he can't help but use the death toll of that endeavor as a hammer to attack his political enemies. If more Americans had actually been paying attention to what was going on in Afghanistan -and COVID not been a thing-, this speech may have been more controversial.)
Final Tally:
- Humanitarian: 1
- Economic: 2
- Political: 3
- Military/Strategic: 5
- More Than One: 3
Compared to Bush's folksy demeanor or Obama's calculated cadence, Trump is unapologetically blunt. What is interesting is that while Trump seems to take much pride in how the American military handles its enemies (i.e., killing them) he weaves in his desires to end the war as often as he praises its success. Trump's business experience has apparently molded his war doctrine to a perspicuous objective: fight as long as we're winning, and prepare to leave before that changes.
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