'I’ve argued for many years that our mission should be narrowly focused on counterterrorism — not counterinsurgency or nation building..
..
And our true strategic competitors — China and Russia — would love nothing more than the United States to continue to funnel billions of dollars in resources and attention into stabilizing Afghanistan indefinitely.
When I hosted President Ghani and Chairman Abdullah at the White House in June and again when I spoke by phone to Ghani in July, we had very frank conversations. We talked about how Afghanistan should prepare to fight their civil wars after the U.S. military departed, to clean up the corruption in government so the government could function for the Afghan people. We talked extensively about the need for Afghan leaders to unite politically.
They failed to do any of that.
I also urged them to engage in diplomacy, to seek a political settlement with the Taliban. This advice was flatly refused. Mr. Ghani insisted the Afghan forces would fight, but obviously he was wrong.
So I’m left again to ask of those who argue that we should stay: How many more generations of America’s daughters and sons would you have me send to fight Afghans — Afghanistan’s civil war when Afghan troops will not? How many more lives — American lives — is it worth? How many endless rows of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery?
I’m clear on my answer: I will not repeat the mistakes we’ve made in the past — the mistake of staying and fighting indefinitely in a conflict that is not in the national interest of the United States, of doubling down on a civil war in a foreign country, of attempting to remake a country through the endless military deployments of U.S. forces.
Those are the mistakes we cannot continue to repeat, because we have significant vital interests in the world that we cannot afford to ignore.
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We will continue to support the Afghan people. We will lead with our diplomacy, our international influence, and our humanitarian aid.
We’ll continue to push for regional diplomacy and engagement to prevent violence and instability.
We’ll continue to speak out for the basic rights of the Afghan people — of women and girls — just as we speak out all over the world.
I have been clear that human rights must be the center of our foreign policy, not the periphery. But the way to do it is not through endless military deployments; it’s with our diplomacy, our economic tools, and rallying the world to join us.
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More importantly, I made a commitment to the brave men and women who serve this nation that I wasn’t going to ask them to continue to risk their lives in a military action that should have ended long ago.
Our leaders did that in Vietnam when I got here as a young man. I will not do it in Afghanistan.'
- Biden (
Source, August 16, 2021)
Context '..only a few areas of the globe are of vital importance to U.S. security or prosperity..'‘The first four years of a child’s life is a crucial .. decode the meaning of the terrorists..’'Thus, as in medieval Europe, Afghanistan has a tradition..' - '..a failure to study Afghan realities.'(Ethics) - '..fighting corruption, defending against authoritarianism, and advancing human rights .. strengthening .. our middle class. .. It is past time to end the forever wars .. zero emissions by 2050 .. liberty.' - Biden'America must lead, but mainly by example .. Most importantly, invest the savings to build a secure, dynamic, and prosperous America that others want to emulate.''For starters, Americans are sick of this war and mainstream media warmongering.''..Cutting the Defense Budget and Reconfiguring the U.S. Military.'(Peace) - '..defence forces in nations .. make the .. transformation to non-lethal defence..'(Peace) - 'Substantial economic improvements are linked to improvements in peace.'