Opinion | The U.S. Still Has Leverage In Afghanistan. Here’s How to Keep It

President Joe Biden last month formally announced plans to end America’s military presence in Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. | AP Photo/Hoshang HashimiAnnie Pforzheimer is former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Afghanistan, former Deputy Chief of Mission in the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, and a member of the steering committee of Alliance for Support of the Afghan People.

When I returned to Kabul in 2017 as deputy chief of Mission, things had changed, in part because American policy had shifted. U.S. forces were no longer in a combat leadership role, and had begun handing responsibilities to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces . The Obama administration’s planned pullout had indeed emboldened the Taliban, as had the withdrawal rhetoric of Donald Trump on the campaign trail.

Already, our loss of leverage is boosting the Taliban’s confidence, in a sad replay of the post-2009 dynamic. Not long after Biden announced the withdrawal, the Talibanthey would not attend a peace conference in Istanbul that the U.S. and other countries had hoped would succeed where earlier talks in Doha had not. I remember once attending a ceremony in Kabul, held every February 15, to commemorate the withdrawal of the last Soviet tanks.

al Qaeda, ISIS and regional terror groups will have ample opportunity to regroup; it could also very well trigger a humanitarian crisis that drives masses of people across Afghan borders into United Nations-funded refugee camps. Instead of mustering the strategic patience to get the end game right and to ensure our reputation as an ally in an unfriendly part of the world, the U.S. is inviting regional chaos we’ll have to deal with anyway.

Second, U.N., U.S. and European sanctions against Taliban leadership must remain in place until the Taliban and other bad actors change their behavior—specifically, until they are no longer a “threat to the security and stability of Afghanistan.” In fact, we should consider imposing new, carefully targeted sanctions against those who are refusing to support peace talks.

One can always count on Politico to voice the establishment Democrat views.

Garbage !

The decision was already made to withdraw. Biden decided to not override it.

Where is the media from what's happening in Palestine and Jerusalem?

This article seems to completely ignore the fact that trump scheduled a may date for withdrawal from Afghanistan

The US - Afghanistan government control 10-15 % of that nation . Get honest . Same as with women’s progress . Non - existent in 90% of the country. Once again- either go big or get out . We continue to sacrifice our military personnel in a 4 President’s war . Not a declared war !

Our presence there did as much to keep terrorists in business as it did to stop them. Twenty years is enough.

fails to remind readers that Trump was already withdrawing from Afghanistan. Media didn't like it then, but likes it now.

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Lloyd Austin says Afghanistan's military will face 'Challenge' fighting Taliban without U.S.As the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan commences, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin acknowledged that Afghans will face a significant challenge in keeping the Taliban at bay without U.S. troops. Its their business. We should've never been there to start with. They will drop their guns and join the invading army as they always do Maybe if the US stops giving money, weapons and training to them, the people would have a chance. Stop getting involved.
Source: Newsweek - 🏆 468. / 52 Read more »

US exit from Afghanistan leaves progress, anxiety in its wake: Reporter's NotebookREPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: After nearly 20 years, the U.S. is leaving behind uncertainty in Afghanistan. Via IanPannell. IanPannell Already started, without U.S. protection: 'Dozens killed in blast, targeting girls' school in Kabul ' IanPannell Even if the USA pulls it’s Troops out of Afghanistan to support the many thousands of girls and women who now have a life of hope I pray that the US at least leave behind their strong Airforce Power to support Afghan Troops on the Ground this is just a MUST
Source: ABC - 🏆 471. / 51 Read more »

I’m a Cool Mom! Chriselle Lim of BümoWork on What She’s Learned from MotherhoodChriselle Lim (ChriselleTweets) of BümoWork opens up about what she's learned from motherhood, her new must-haves, and how she is keeping her style CHRISELLEtweets SOSColombiaDDHH RenuncieDuque ComplicidadDeEstado CALI CENSURADA ColombiaEnAlertaRoja DuqueNosMandoAMatar nytimes BBCNews bbcmundo France24_es FoxNews TembloresOng HRI_ONG Declaracion HELP US CommissionerHR CorteIDH cnni Awesome
Source: voguemagazine - 🏆 715. / 51 Read more »

Opinion | The U.S. needs to stop pretending it's going to defend Ukraine from RussiaThe empty U.S. rhetoric merely prevents Kyiv from recognizing the need to make unpleasant sacrifices to accommodate its much stronger neighbor.
Source: NBCNews - 🏆 10. / 86 Read more »

U.S. sends more firepower to Middle East as troops withdraw from AfghanistanPentagon spokesman John Kirby has previously said that Defense Department leadership will continue to assess security threats in Afghanistan against troops.
Source: CNBC - 🏆 12. / 72 Read more »