U.S. Foreign Policy in Afghanistan, Essay Example

Introduction

Modern Afghan history has been marked by con?ict, instability, and frequent changes in power, due in part to its strategic location, independent clan structure and wide-ranging ethnic and cultural-linguistic composition (Central). Since it’s founding in 1747, Afghanistan has seen three Anglo-Afghan wars, the 1979 Soviet invasion and ensuing insurgency, several years of civil war during the 1990s, and the authoritarian regime of the ultraconservative Islamist Taliban. Some have suggested that the U. S. involvement in Afghanistan and the fight against Osama bin Laden was inevitable. Born in Saudi Arabia, bin Laden went to college there until 1979, when he left school to join the Mujahedeen in Pakistan to fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan. He helped fund the Mujahedeen and gained support from Arabs across the region. In 1988, bin Laden created al Qaeda and established a base in Sudan. After the United States forced him to leave Sudan in 1996, he shifted his base of operations to Afghanistan, declaring war against America and beginning a series of bombings that culminated in the attacks in the U.S. on September 11, 2001 (Wright 308). Lawrence Wright proposes,

[Osama] Bin Laden wanted to lure the United States into Afghanistan, which was already being called the graveyard of empires. The usual object of terrorist to draw one’s opponent into repressive blunders, and bin Laden caught America at a vulnerable and unfortunate moment in its history (Wright 309).

After the September 11 attacks, the United States went to war in Afghanistan, arguing that national and vital interests were at stake. U.S. involvement included removing the Taliban, implementation of the Bonn Agreement (a U.N.-sponsored process of reconciliation reconstruction) and self-government meant to promote lasting peace and sustained development of Afghanistan’s economy and institutions. In spite of the progress, Afghanistan remains a fragile state. Taliban and al Qaeda militants carry out strikes in eastern and southern Afghanistan, many of which are launched from Pakistan. Local militias and the Taliban have been able to extend or maintain their control of large parts of the Afghan countryside, which is used to ?nance their operations through the cultivation of poppy (Lacy et al. 2009 53).

This raises the question whether the United States should stay engaged in Afghanistan and continue to provide training and aid. To address this question, this paper ?rst identi?es terrorism in regards to U.S. foreign policy in Afghanistan. Next, the military assistance and economic development aid given to Afghanistan is examined. The argument in this paper will be that the United States needs to continue helping Afghanistan to become a stable country in which no future terrorist organization will use it to establish training bases or as a base of operations.

Terrorism and U.S. Policy

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks by al Qaeda, argues Lacey (54), there emerged two distinct responses that would shape American geopolitical actions throughout the world. The first was essentially to declare the United States at war. The full power of the American state was geared towards a “Global War on Terror” against states, organizations or individuals that were deemed a threat to American security. The second important change in American geopolitical thinking that took place in the aftermath of September 11 was the emphasis on democracy promotion as a means of attaining global stability and peace. This idea became pronounced in Afghanistan (54). While intervention in other countries might be complicated, Damir Marusic writes:

Afghanistan is a different matter. There was a single justification for invading which is not at all contested: Afghanistan was a safe haven for the man and the organization that planned and carried out the beastly outrages of 9/11. Bin Laden and al Qaeda certainly fit the Islamist mold, as did the Taliban regime that sheltered them. It made sense, therefore, to not only dismantle al Qaeda in Afghanistan, but to completely remove their sponsors too (Marusic 2010).

Now that the U.S. has troops in the country, they are targeting al Qaeda and fighting terrorism.

The United States concerns about Afghanistan being used a safe-haven for terrorists goes back to 1998 and the bombing of U.S. embassies that year. President Clinton conducted a cruise missile attack against an alleged al Qaeda training complex in Afghanistan. The attack was in retaliation for the August 7, 1998 Kenya and Tanzania American embassy bombings. The Afghanistan complex was believed to be financed by Osama bin Laden, who was thought to be responsible for the embassy bombings and for terrorism against the United States (Snowdon 2007).

Retired General John R. Allen and Michael O’Hanlon propose that the United States and Afghanistan have common cause and, “The U.S.-Afghan relationship should be more than a partnership of convenience (Allen 2013). The United States, and the region, has an interest in a strong, stable and secure country. The pending “Security and Defense Cooperation Agreement Between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,” according to Richard Engel, NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent, allows U.S. and NATO troops to remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014. Engle writes, “Afghanistan would allow Washington to operate military bases to train Afghan forces and conduct counter-terrorism operations against al Qaeda after the current mission ends in 2014 (Engle 2013).

Military Assistance

The Afghanistan’s military force is being rebuilt by United States Armed Forces. Following the removal of the Taliban in 2001, emphasis on training and equipping the Afghan military began in earnest. Billions of dollars are spent on military aid in Afghanistan. According to Curt Tarnoff:

As a result of the war on al Qaeda and the 2001 military effort that removed Taliban rule, Afghanistan is a U.S. strategic priority and recipient to date of nearly $52 billion in U.S. foreign assistance serving multiple objectives. About three-quarters of this assistance have been provided since the beginning of fiscal year 2007. Assistance efforts are broadly intended to stabilize and strengthen the country, through a range of development-related programs and through training and materiel support for the Afghan police and military (Tarnoff 2010, 1).

America is still training Afghan troops in the war against the Taliban and al Qaeda.

The pending security and defense agreement calls for Afghanistan to eventually pay its own way, but for now the U.S. will fund training and supplying the Afghan National Security Forces. The long-term goal is for the Afghan forces to take over the role of fighting al Qaeda and to insure that no terrorists never again use the country as a base (Engle 2013).

Economic Development

Currently, the United States play’s a major role in the Reconstruction of Afghanistan by providing billions of dollars to help rebuild the government, education and roads. The United States government allotted about $76.9 billion to reconstruction and aid efforts in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2012. This funding does not include military expenditures associated with Operation Enduring Freedom (the war in Afghanistan), which total about $440 billion. According to a 2012 national Geographic article:

• The largest single allotment of “reconstruction and relief” funding to Afghanistan — about $48 billion — went to the Afghan Security Forces Fund (ASFF). ASFF supports the purchase of aircraft, missiles, weapons, ammunition and combat vehicles. ASFF is classified as “security” funding.

• The second-largest allotment of “reconstruction and relief” funding in Afghanistan—about $15 billion — went to the Economic Support Fund (ESF). ESF supports infrastructure in Afghanistan, including building roads and schools, and helping establish a reliable health-care system and judiciary. ESF is classified as “governance and development” funding.

• The third-largest allotment of “reconstruction and relief” funding in Afghanistan—about $3.5 billion — went to International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE). INCLE is a broad-based program that aims to reduce Afghan farmers’ economic reliance on opium crops and advise Afghan leaders on legal and political issues surrounding the international drug trade. INCLE is classified as “security” funding (Reconstructing 2012).

Conclusion

This paper has examined U.S foreign policy and how it applies to terrorism in Afghanistan. Next, the military and economic assistance provided to Afghanistan was listed. This paper concluded the following. The United States perceives Afghanistan to be at the forefront of the global war on terrorism and that this should translate into a long-term commitment to the country. Ultimately, the length of the U.S. commitment will be determined by events on the ground. The challenge of state building in Afghanistan is complex and multifaceted. Although the U.S. war on terror has a regional dimension, Afghanistan cannot achieve stability unless the aspects of violence within its borders are addressed e?ectively. Building a stable and e?ective modern state in Afghanistan requires a long-term commitment by the United States to invest in addressing both short and long-term needs.

The strategy should aim to end the Taliban insurgency and to create e?ective governance systems capable of establishing the rule of law, providing human security and public services, and fostering economic development that can replace the illicit drug trade with legal economic activities. Afghanistan, which is on the front lines in the global war on terror, stands at a crossroads and needs the help of the United States if it going to succeed. A flourishing and safe Afghanistan can fight terrorism and repeal any terrorist organization looking to establish operations within its country.

Works Cited

Allen, John R. and O’Hanlon, Michael. “Common cause between America, Afghanistan.” Opinions, The Washington Post, 2013. Web. 26 November 2013.

Central Intelligence Agency. “Afghanistan.” The World Factbook, 2013. Web. 26 November 2013.

Engel, Richard. “Endless Afghanistan? US-Afghan agreement would keep troops in place and funds flowing, perhaps indefinitely.” World News, NBC News.com, 2013. Web. 26 November 2013.

Lacy, Mark J. and Debrix, Francois. The Geopolitics of American Insecurity: Terror, Power and Foreign Policy. New York: Routledge, 2009.

Marusic, Damir. “Fighting Islam in Afghanistan.” The American Interest, 2010. Web. 26 November 2013.

“Reconstructing Afghanistan.” Education. National Geographic, 2012. Web 26 November 2013.

Snowdon, Ben and Johnson, David. “Primer on the Embassy Bombings and the U.S. Strikes on Sudan and Afghanistan.” Infoplease.co. Pearson Education, Inc., 2007.

Tarnoff, Curt. “Afghanistan: U.S. Foreign Assistance.” Congressional Research Service Report for Congress. Congressional Research Service 7-5700. R40699. Web. 26 November 2013.

Wright, Lawrence. The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.