Monday, October 14, 2013
Talks Clear Path for U.S.-Afghan Deal on Troops
This was an intriguing article involving Secretary Kerry and Mr. Karzai's talks involving immunity for United States troops staying in Afghanistan after the end of 2014. At the moment, the talks seem to have gone pretty well but it still depends on how the elders in Afghanistan and their parliament feel about the bill.
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Cheers to John Kerry for being able to negotiate a deal despite the odds stacked against him and the doubt coming from both Washington and Kabul. I think this is definitely a step in the right direction. However, I'm not too sure I have complete faith in the "loya jirga" to approve the deal and grant US troops immunity after 2014. I agree with the author of this article that "a complete withdrawal could prove disastrous" but the Afghans might not realize this. I would imagine they see themselves as having enough stability to continue without as much foreign aid. If I were in their position, I would be happy at the prospect of a withdrawal of troops.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Olivia, that forming some sort if deal is benficial because without the US aid, Afghanistan would most likely quickly fall into shambles. Personnaly, I believe the rebel forces would be quick to seize as much control as possible, while the legitimate government is floundering about, trying to swim ln land. Also, it's better that the operations in Afghanistan take a longer time and produce stronger results, than to rush them and leave a weak and ineffective government. Hopefully, it will signal the end of American involvement in the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting how both of Justin's articles make points showing how the actions of the United States affect the rest of the world. This article points out that if the US pulls out of Afghanistan, other European countries could be forced to pull out as well, thus costing Afghanistan the bulk of their annual aid. This lack of troops could prove even more disastrous for Afghanistan because they will have less funds to fight the Taliban and less training if the US pulls out before training any troops in Afghanistan. It will be interesting to see how the "loya jirga" votes on this matter. It seems that voting against providing foreign troops with immunity from prosecution under Afghan law will do more harm then good for the Afghani people.
ReplyDeleteI also must commend John Kerry on a job well done in getting an extension to be a feasible outcome. It is absolutely imperative that this deal pull through--without a deal, Afghanistan will go the way of Iraq: a touchdown spiked in the end zone. I disagree, however, that the Afghan people will not understand what will happen should America leave too soon--they understand how powerful and dangerous the Taliban is--many of the Afghan people were around prior to the fall of the Taliban.
ReplyDeleteEmily raises an interesting point. Many times I have heard the term "World Police" coined at our armed forces. The United States has done an incredible job in its effort to negate war and violence in this sector of the world. If we were to pull out now due to failed negotiations between Secretary Kerry and Mr. Karzai the repercussions would be disastrous. Afghanistan is not ready to deal with the Taliban without our assistance. In my view, the Afghan people must realize that they need to give up something in order to gain something - in this case, control of jurisdiction for security.
ReplyDeleteIt may just be me, but I feel that we should withdraw while we have a chance. Yes, there will be repercussions, but wouldn't withdrawing our troops be more beneficial for us? Just as Ethan said, the US has done a great job in it's efforts, but when will enough be enough? I know it sounds horrible, but we should be focusing more on our own issues. Afghanistan stood before we invaded, and it will find a way to stand on its own if we are to withdraw. When it comes to the Taliban, I feel that it should be the Afghani government's responsibility to keep them in check. We can provide resources if they remain an ally, but we shouldn't be doing the job for them as I feel we are now.
ReplyDeleteAlthough immunity from prosecution under Afghan law for American troops after 2014 sounds like a great accomplishment, it seems to me that it's more of a bargain between the US and Afghanistan. We get what we want, and in return Afghanistan continues to be protected/supported. I would be surprised if the loya jirga decided to have the US troops removed because this article is basically an explanation of why their protection is essential to the stability of Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteThe article implies that the loya jirga will decide on whatever Karzai wants them to, so if Karzai decides to go through with his and Kerry's plan, I'm not worried that it will gain the support of that group. The harder group to win over would probably be the American people, some of whom incessantly demand the withdrawal of all troops immediately and some of whom don't think Afghanistan will be ready to fend off the Taliban by themselves in the foreseeable future, if ever. I agree with nearly all of the conditions of the plan, though, and if it passes, I think the majority of Americans will support it.
ReplyDeleteI support this bill. I don't think that the Afghanistan government will be able to fight off the Taliban for a long time. As successful as our country is, I think it is some what of our duty to be the "world police" in a sense. If we keep at it, eventually the world will be a better, safer place because of the US. Also, were just adding another ally to the list once our work is done.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Christian. Although being named the "World Police" makes us look as powerful as we are, we really need to focus on ourselves as well. Helping other countries that are in need is very important, I understand that, but it is also crucial to understand that the United States should have itself on the top of our priority list. I do believe that the loya jirga will agree to let the US troops stay, but as Christian said, this seems like it would have been a good opportunity for us to leave. I know Afghanistan needs us and the other European countries, but at the same time we need the focus back on ourselves.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see how the Ioya jirga responds to this deal. I agree with some of the above comments saying that we need to focus on ourselves. It's good to help out those in need around the world, but the people in our country that need help should be focused on first. It might be hard to see from our lives in Delaware Country, but violence and poverty run rampant in many parts of the country. When citizens become desensitized to shootings in the country, you know it's time to make a change. Let's focus on our problems.
ReplyDeleteThe statistic that other countries pay for 80% of Afghanistan expense is baffling. It really shows how a gradual and organized exit strategy is crucial. It also seems that part of this is making Afghan troops a big part of the forces. Part of this is that Mr. Karzai seems to want to make the country look and become strong and more independent so the United States troops are not just running the show and also slowly leaving. Most of the points he makes are logical.
ReplyDeleteThe article mentioned that officials criticized the US' drone assassination of Hakimullah Meshud - the former leader of the Taliban - because he was on the verge of starting peace strikes with the government.
ReplyDeleteThis idea makes me question how aware the US forces are of what's happening between the Taliban and Afghanistan's government. I also feel that these drone strikes aren't as effective as we think. Will they really scare and discourage people? Or will they just enrage them to resist? Think about the US' reaction after 9/11