Could US forces withdraw from Afghanistan?
- By Shen Dingli
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E-mail China.org.cn, June 7, 2014
Will the United States stop waging wars on other countries, except when it is invaded? People have reason to doubt this, because Washington, after sustaining heavy trauma following the Vietnam War, did once mull whether it would launch further military actions abroad in the future.
But the Pentagon did wage more wars, even excluding the two "wars on terrorism." U.S. troops were seen in Panama, Grenada, Iraq, Sudan, Kosovo and Libya, once every five years on average.
Given the facts, it is naive to believe that the future master of the White House will follow Obama's advice.
Even when the U.S. troops leave on schedule, the ripples will be grave. The U.S. government did not offer any compensation to Vietnam or Iraq. In particular, the U.S. operation in Iraq in 2003 could not legitimately be described as a "defensive act," and nor was the war approved by the U.N. Security Council. The U.S. government is responsible for the damage that it caused in Iraq – both material damage and the loss of some 500,000 lives.
The United States has insisted on maintaining a small military presence in Afghanistan, which will naturally arouse legal questions concerning the remaining soldiers.
The United States has demanded countries where it operates military bases to abandon their own domestic laws in administering the U.S. troops, in another words, to allow U.S. troops special privileges.
This has aroused sentiments in various countries, including Afghanistan. During Obama's visit there, Afghan President Hamid Karzai made an excuse not to meet him, amid Karzai's disagreement with the United States on security issues in Afghanistan. Karzai's attitude could represent a sentiment shared by countries where U.S. soldiers are stationed.
The U.S. military withdrawals have often left a power vacuum, encouraging all related parties to contend before reaching a new political balance, a process that takes time. How Afghanistan will organize its own political balance of power and security is a question worth considering, because such issues will directly affect Afghanistan's neighbors, including China, in terms of their border security and domestic development.
The United States will not consider such issues in pulling out of Afghanistan. Just as its irresponsible entry into the country, this irresponsible exit will challenge the entire region.
In his West Point address, Obama emphasized that the United States will continue to lead the world for another century. But if U.S. troops recklessly enter and leave other countries, the U.S. world dominance is bound to fade.
The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/shendingli.htm
This article was translated by Chen Boyuan. Its original unabridged version was published in Chinese.
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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