Chats on the Charles

Nonsensical as the title may sound, it succinctly captures Dr. Nishank Motwani’s (co-editor of Afghanistan – Challenges and Prospects) prediction of the future of an American presence in Afghanistan, along the lines of an over fifty year deployment in South Korea.

In an in-depth interview on the subject, Nishank states that the security in Afghanistan deteriorated significantly under the Obama administration’s drawdown plans. Therefore, increased troop levels, as proposed by President Trump, are essential to avoid losing all the gains made since 2001. He says, “the current freedom enjoyed by Al Qaeda, ISIS and Taliban in Afghanistan is similar to or greater than after 9/11”. A shocking fact that should pose a danger to the homeland and necessitate a response from the U.S.

However, he does not think troops alone will resolve the conflict and bemoans the lack of a political strategy in Donald Trump’s recent plan.

The political path runs through Pakistan (he explains why) and currently Islamabad has no incentive to cooperate with the U.S., especially given its burgeoning security and economic relationship with China.

Therefore, until a deal with Pakistan can be constructed with China’s support, a robust American troop presence in Afghanistan is essential to protect the homeland.  It is unfortunately, the best of a series of bad options.

So once more, our foreign policy finds itself constrained by China’s global ambitions – eerily similar to the stalemate on the Korean peninsula.

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I hope you enjoy our first podcast by clicking on the play button below. Apologies for the inconsistent sound quality.  As with all things, we will get better over time. Thank you for your support and look forward to your comments.