Afghanistan:
Now And Forever?
D. S. Mitchell
President Trump has just embraced 16 years of war in Afghanistan and promised the American people more of the same: with a new troop build up, diplomatic pressure on Pakistan and outreach to the Taliban to entice them to the negotiating table. These are all old familiar strategies used by his two predecessors with no success.
Donald Trump, several years ago advised then President Obama, to get the hell out of Afghanistan and spend time and resources rebuilding America. After months of deliberations with his generals Trump has been persuaded to stick with a conflict that he has vocally opposed in the past. In fact, during the campaign Trump claimed he would wind down America’s foreign wars.
Trump and his military team believe that with the Afghanistan government losing large sections of the country that the U.S. has no choice, but to dig in. Trump reiterated that there would be no publicized withdrawal time table, as there had been with President Obama. An issue that Obama has been criticized for.
Trump’s announcement came Monday night in a 26 minute televised address to the nation from Fort Meyers, VA. There was a sense of bravado to his comments, one of those, “I got this” as he proclaimed “In the end, we will win.”
Trump is the third president to struggle with the Afghanistan problem. In 2001 George Bush sent special forces into Afghanistan to rout the Taliban government and track down al-Quida terrorists. Since that first commitment, actions in Afghanistan by the U.S. has cost the American people $715,ooo,000,000, 2,400 lives and another 20,000 wounded in a 16 year adventure in foreign occupation. A very heavy price for such humble results.
Afghanistan is a country besieged by ethnic, religious, cultural and tribal factions that have blocked foreign armies for millennia. Trump indicated in his address to the nation that the mission was not to re-take territory, but rather the focus would be on training Afghan Special Forces and the Afghan regular army.
In my opinion, the announcement of the troop build up was a lame effort to redirect the conversation from Charlottesville, VA. and his own schizophrenic behaviors of the last week, to a topic that has in the past earned him a bump in the polls, bomb strikes.
Trump has surrounded himself with generals. He appears to defer, in some instances, to their ability. The warning in this case would be, the military will always offer military solutions and promise victory, that’s what they are trained to do. The basic truth is that there will be no victory for the United States in Afghanistan because there is no sustainable government in place that can administer the country, and be an ally to the U.S.
Trump is vowing to “win” what seems to be an unwinnable war. I don’t want us there, just to “win” with no specification of troop numbers, strategy, or time commitment. Trump pointedly declined to show how many more troops will be dispatched to extend the longest war in U.S. history. Trump indicated it would no longer be a “time based” war, but rather a “result based” conflict.
Established on Jan. 29th, 1939 the Badlands National Park protects 242, 796 acres of southwestern South Dakota. The park terrain is dramatic with sprawling grasslands, deep canyons and towering rock spires.. The park is habitat for Bighorn Sheep, American Bison and small rodents such as the prairie dog. Inside the park at Fossil Exhibit Trail fossils recovered within the park are on display for visitors.
Yosemite was first protected in 1864. Yosemite is famous for its waterfalls and steep peaks. Within 1,200 square miles there are deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoia, and a vast wilderness area. Yosemite is a World Heritage Site and entertains 5 million tourists annually.
A centerpiece of the Mall is the Lincoln Memorial, an enduring symbol of freedom. The memorial was designed after an ancient Greek temple. The 36 outer fluted columns represent the number of states in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death. The “park/mall” is in downtown Washington, D.C. Unofficially it is the area between the Lincoln Memorial on the West and East to the U.S. Capitol grounds. The mall contains the Smithsonian, art galleries, cultural institutions and many memorials, sculptures and statues. Some of the greatest assemblage of humanity in giant protests have occurred on the National Mall.
Glacier National Park was established May 11, 1910. The park covers 1,583 square miles of wilderness in Montana’s Rocky Mountains. Glacier carved peaks and valleys run all the way to the Canadian border. There are more than 700 miles of hiking trails. Diverse wildlife include Grizzly bears and Mountain goats. The park is known as the “Crown of the Continent.” Glacier is the headwaters for streams that flow to the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and to Hudson Bay. What happens at Glacier affects waters in a huge section of North America.
g the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. Lush forests where wildflowers bloom year round is a delightful park that offers camping and hiking among rivers, creeks and waterfalls. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park entertains more than 11 million visitors annually. Rainfall rushes down the mountainsides of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, creating an abundance of waterfalls . Visitors will find cascades and waterfalls on nearly every stream or river in the park.
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Crater Lake is 1950 ft deep. The lake was formed when Mount Mazama erupted nearly 8,000 years ago and then collapsed, forming the lake. The park is the only National Park in the state of Oregon and entertains over 800,000 visitors each year. The lake is fed only by rain and snowfall and is a photographer’s dream blue. The park was established by Teddy Roosevelt in May 1902 and encompasses over 183,000 sq acres.
The Dry Tortugas is a small archipelago of coral islands which are the most western and most isolated of the Florida Keys. The park is 99% water and is located 68 miles west of Key West, Florida. The area is home to sea turtles, and multiple sea birds. The seven small islands in the Gulf of Mexico offers picturesque blue waters, superlative coral reefs and marine life, and the historic Fort Jefferson and is skin divers paradise.
Described as a “red rock wonderland,” Arches National Park is a landscape of contrasting colors, landforms and textures. The park has more than 2,000 natural stone arches, as well as hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins, and giant balanced rocks.” The Arches National Park is north of Moab, Utah. The 119.8 square miles park is bordered by the Colorado river in the southeast. The park entertains over 1.5 million visitors annually. Park was established in 1929.
