- Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan is shocking.
- Washington decided four years ago that it is tired of “eternal war.”
- Donald Trump promised to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2017, calling the war there “a mess” and “waste”.
Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan was shocking, but Washington had decided four years ago to tire of “eternal war” and turn its attention to competing with the traditional powers of China and Russia.
Since the September 11, 2001 attack, fighting with stateless terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaida and the Islamic State has consumed US security agencies and trillions of dollars.
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, took office in 2017 and promised to withdraw from Afghanistan, calling the war there “a mess” and “waste”.
The conflict there with Iraq was characterized by endless deployment of troops, continued levels of violence, and inability to ultimately defeat the enemy.
By 2020, Trump has overcome resistance and laid the foundation for the withdrawal of troops. By the time he stepped down in January, there were only 2,500 soldiers left in each country. Biden accepted this trajectory and announced on Thursday that the US military intervention in Afghanistan will end on August 31.
“We are ending America’s longest war,” he said. “The United States cannot continue to be subject to the policies that it made to respond to the world 20 years ago.”
Putin and Xi Jinping’s challenge
The 9/11 attacks caught US security agencies by surprise, forcing the entire government to refocus and launch a “war on terror.”
The United States and NATO allies invaded Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban government that protects Al Qaeda.
The then President George W. Bush also took the opportunity to invade Iraq to overthrow the strongman Saddam Hussein, hoping to reshape the Middle East and stifle wider threats.
The initial attack basically succeeded quickly, al Qaeda collapsed and fled in Afghanistan, and Saddam was deposed and arrested in Iraq.
But in both cases, the United States and its allies stay in place, hoping to rebuild each country, and cannot withdraw without risking a return to the situation before 9/11.
Then, starting in 2013, when the new Chinese President Xi Jinping began to actively expand his country’s military, US security leaders renewed their views.
In order to counter and surpass the US military power, China began to establish armed bases on disputed islands in the South China Sea, an additional base in Djibouti, and plans to establish other bases in Asia and the Middle East.
At the same time, in 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin dispatched troops to seize Crimea in Ukraine and support the rebellion in eastern Ukraine.
Two years later, Moscow launched a radical movement that affected the US presidential election.
During the same period, the young North Korean leader Kim Jong Un embarked on an ambitious plan to develop nuclear weapons with missiles that could threaten the United States.
Trump’s 2017 national security strategy confirmed this shift.
“China and Russia challenge the power, influence and interests of the United States in an attempt to erode America’s security and prosperity,” it said.
“They are determined to make the economy less free and unfair, develop their military, and control information and data to suppress their society and expand their influence.”
New hot spots: Ukraine and Taiwan
Reminiscent of the Cold War, the repositioning meant that the Pentagon pushed to expand its navy, build a stronger long-range bomber and submarine strike force, and update its nuclear weapons.
It also means responding to the challenges of China and Russia in new areas, and the Pentagon has established a space command and a cyber command.
The new priorities took root under Trump, and Biden confirmed these in his own national security policy in March.
“The distribution of power around the world is changing, creating new threats. China in particular is rapidly becoming more confident,” it said.
“Both Beijing and Moscow have invested heavily in efforts aimed at containing American power and preventing us from defending our interests and allies around the world.”
Ukraine and Taiwan are not Afghanistan and Iraq-Syria, but new flashpoints.
Both have recently acquired more and more advanced American weapons to deter Russia and China respectively.
The Pentagon has set up a new office focused on China. U.S. naval vessels often sail in the waters of Taiwan and the South China Sea, secretly challenging China’s territorial claims.
As for Russia, Biden seeks to strengthen ties with NATO allies.
In the past week, American ships have also participated in exercises in the Black Sea, where Russian troops conducted their own exercises.
The Pentagon emphasized that counter-terrorism will not end with the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
But it is turning to more remote areas-using air and missile attacks from remote bases and ships to take action in Afghanistan, where al Qaeda is still active.
Biden said: “We are repositioning our resources and adjusting our counter-terrorism posture to deal with the threats they face now.”
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