President Trump during his primetime speech on Monday announced his stance on Afghanistan and Pakistan. He advocated for stronger military action in Afghanistan, though no specification on the number of troops that would be sent to the country were stated..
Before weighing what it means for Pakistan lets analyze Trump’s plan for Afghanistan.
First of all, the current strategy seems like a new version of old US policies for Afghanistan with some tweaks around the edges. It says stronger military action but there is no specific number of troops, and no timeline provided this time. The question can be ruled out by explaining that this is how they want to prevent Taliban from making plans ahead of them.
17 years since war was waged against Taliban and there is still no guarantee as to when it will end, yet Mr. Trump seems as adamant as ever. He said, “Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win, From now on, victory will have a clear definition. Attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al-Qaida, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan and stopping mass terror attacks against the United States before they occur.”
He seeks support with additional troop and funding increases in line with their own. However, his seemingly new strategy lacks any grounds of practicality. At this moment where West is witnessing terrorist activities from other terrorist organization, the support Mr. Trump is seeking from international community depends upon how much the community is affected by this particular group.
In USA, the troop withdrawal idea enjoys the most attention among policy makers and voters since the 2008 elections till now. Former President Barack Obama had faced the same pressure to withdraw; the pressure was due to the cost of war, which bore no fruit. Similarly, Trump’s plan for Afghanistan is a disappointment to those who had called for an end to foreign intervention and were looking forward to nation building.
On the other hand, last week Taliban issued an open letter to Trump warning him against a troop surge, they aren’t willing to engage in any peace talks, at least not until the US and NATO give a time frame for withdrawal, something Trump isn’t going to let happen.
Talking about Pakistan, Mr. Trump said. “It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order and to peace.”
The US-Pakistan relationship has been tricky recently, both countries collaborated on counter terrorism activities and challenges, but USA has often maintained its point about Pakistan’s inability to present a united front against terrorism and always demanded to do more.
Pakistan has always rejected the notion that it is a safe haven for terrorists. However, US didn’t seem to believe in it and they are trying to address this trust deficit by issuing a warning, asking Pakistan to pick their side and take an aggressive stance against terrorism. Trump administration officials have been discussing steps to reduce aid, sanctions and perhaps strengthen their authority to conduct airstrikes on Pakistan’s side of the border.
Knowing Trump and the fact that his ego is bigger than his brain, Trumps foreign policy and stance against the Pak – Afghan region seems like a deviation from Obama legacy or maybe he will reverse his statements next week, remember Charlottesville?
Considering the present scenario, Pakistan should be ready – the world is not going to end if Trump wants USA to break up with Pakistan. Pakistan should take a strong position, making it clear that military aid was being given all these years to indicate our support in eradicating terrorism in Afghanistan and to clean the mess created as a result of its cooperation in the war on terror.
Pakistan should make it clear to USA – we aren’t going to take dictation anymore in the exchange of aid. We should take our sovereignty seriously and clear all fanatical activities in and out of our borders. Pakistan should work on its foreign policy and build coalitions with countries who are already parting ways from US due to President Trump’s hardline policies. We have seen Canada, France and Germany play an active role in the Syrian immigrants issue as well as climate control to name a few.
Pakistan should identify its complex issues and have a plan to fix them. Having China’s support, who came forward to denounce Trump’s policy even before Pakistan’s foreign office , can enhance Pakistan’s position in this situation.