Donald Trump just made about as shocking an announcement as I have heard in terms of U.S. military strategy.
After touting the deal with the Taliban achieved during his first term, he just made a complete reversal.
Trump says he now wants the former U.S. Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan back, citing its strategic location in relation to China.
When Trump initially announced the aforementioned deal with the Taliban, I had to admit, I was shocked but not completely surprised, considering his stance on war.
In announcing the drawdown and eventual departure from Afghanistan, Trump said it was "time to bring our people back home" and that "the people of the United States for having spent so much in terms of blood, in terms of treasure, and treasury."
Trump added that our troops had been killing terrorists in Afghanistan for years, and now it was someone else’s turn to do the job.
He added, "I really believe the Taliban wants to do something to show we're not all wasting time. If bad things happen, we'll go back with a force like no-one's ever seen."
There are many opinions on whose fault the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan was, but the facts are right there for everyone to see.
Trump had measures in place to kill the deal, making it contingent on the Taliban living up to its part of the agreement, which it did not once former President Joe Biden took over.
Biden could have walked away from the deal if he wanted to, but all he kept saying was that Trump had forced his hand, and he had to follow through.
Soldiers died, equipment and citizens were left behind, but somehow Biden escaped scrutiny from the media over one of the most disastrous foreign policy moves by any president that I can remember during my time on this planet.
While still in the U.K. for his historic state visit, Trump stunned everyone by saying he wanted the base back, stating, "We're trying to get it back. We're trying to get it back because they need things from us." He continued, "We want that base back, but one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”
So, if that is the reason, it has not changed since Trump’s first term, so why was this rationale not a consideration then? And if we get the base back, it means putting boots on the ground and restocking the facility itself, which will cost hundreds of billions of dollars.
I cannot sugarcoat this because it will be a nightmare for the GOP if Trump decides to go through with the plan. In fact, it is already a nightmare because I have seen the comments on social media about this being a product of someone who shoots from the hip and acts before he thinks.
What I am trying to figure out is how Trump expects Congress to get behind this idea, and he will need its approval to re-establish a base there. Maybe I am overreacting, having been caught completely off-guard here, so you guys tell me… would you support going back into Afghanistan and reloading that base, likely adding nearly hundreds of billions to our national debt to make it happen?
