S-N Editorial

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before.

President Joe Biden announced a new plan last week that would completely withdraw American troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 of this year. The move kicks the can on former President Donald Trump’s plan, which called for all troops to be removed by May 1.

“War in Afghanistan was never meant to be a multigenerational undertaking,” Biden said during a speech delivered in the Treaty Room of the White House, where former President George W. Bush announced the start of the war in 2001. “It’s time to end the forever war.”

It’s hard to rebuff Trump and Biden’s rare moment of bipartisan agreement. America’s two-decade long presence in Afghanistan has brought marked stability and more security to the Middle Eastern nation, albeit through bloodshed of both U.S. troops and Afghan nationals alike. The war there was born from the horror of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and was indeed as justified of a crusade as there’s ever been; however, 20 years is a long time. Where does it end?

Both Biden and Trump have been sharply criticized by national defense leaders, intelligence officials and lawmakers for the decision to leave. Many fear America’s departure will create a power vacuum of incredible instability, which is warranted. We’ve seen all this unfold before in Iraq. Remember ISIS, the caliphate and the horrific bloodshed that ensued in the Middle East after we left? While this region of the world is hardly stable, our exit no doubt toppled whatever rickety foundation Iraq’s new government stood upon.

The example in Iraq raises an existential question that’s been asked millions of times since the 1970s: What is America’s role in the Middle East, and to what extent should we intervene?

Obviously, isolationists will say we have no obligation there. It’s not that simple, though, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks showed we cannot sit back with our hands on our head and watch. It’s the double-edged sword of being the world’s greatest superpower – though we have the military might to quash Middle Eastern security threats rather quickly, it’s not as easy to instill long-term stability. Essentially, every time we push down one bubble, another appears somewhere else.

The saga seems like a never-ending quagmire with no viable solution. While we can all hope Afghanistan’s government remains both capable and viable after U.S. troops leave, many military experts and combat veterans are wondering how fast we’ll be back – history has proven that simply withdrawing and hoping for the best isn’t a realistic approach to creating lasting stability. But, we can’t stay there forever.

Sometimes things can be good, bad, welcomed and worrisome all at once. The decision to leave Afghanistan fits those descriptions and then some. You can flip a coin, but no matter which side it lands on, it will probably be wrong.