August 22, 2017
Trump Learns From America’s Failures in Afghanistan
Since the end of the Cold War, one of the unfortunate patterns in American foreign policy has been the tendency of new presidents to denounce their predecessors’ approach to the world—only to repeat their mistakes.
As the Trump administration debated the way ahead in Afghanistan in recent months, it risked falling into this trap. For all their differences Donald Trump and Barack Obama both entered office ambivalent about the flagging war effort in South Asia. Each was sensitive to the threat of terrorism from the region,...
Read the full op-ed in The Wall Street Journal.
More from CNAS
-
Here's How Private Contractors Can Help Win the Afghan War
The president has declared a “path forward” for Afghanistan. Given that the United States is at a nexus for strategic change, might there be an increased role for private cont...
By CDR Daniel G. Straub, USN
-
The Only Way Trump’s Afghanistan Plan Would Make Sense
Monday night, President Donald Trump unveiled his long-awaited plan for Afghanistan. Trump admitted his instinct was to withdraw from the war-torn country, where U.S. forces h...
By Stephen Tankel
-
What Works in Afghanistan
There is a cliché about Afghanistan that custom dictates must be included in every TV appearance, column, and book about that land: It is the “graveyard of empires.” From Alex...
By Phillip Carter
-
Trump Learns From America’s Failures in Afghanistan
Since the end of the Cold War, one of the unfortunate patterns in American foreign policy has been the tendency of new presidents to denounce their predecessors’ approach to t...
By Vance Serchuk