Daily Times

There’s a stark difference between the Twitter and the teleprompter rendition of Trump’s policy.President Trump’s persistence in his State of the Union address that Congress pass laws to guarantee that “American foreign-assistance dollars always serve American interests, and only go to America’s friends” may not be as artless as it appears.

However, to the extent one recalls, Americans have always offered help and given the premiums to serve American interests only.

Notwithstanding the past couple of months, both Pakistan and the US walked a diplomatic tight rope. As the dust was yet to settle, there came a tweet from Trump at the very onset of the New Year, where he threatened to cut the aid to Pakistan for purportedly deceiving the US and offering little or no help in its chase against the terrorist’s ‘safe havens’. Trump’s Afghanistan policy is distinct from that of Bush and Obama’s, for Trump has started seeing Pakistan as a contributor to the elements that keep the US entangled in Afghanistan. In other words, Trump sees Pakistan as part of the problem rather than solution.

Trump’s Afghanistan policy is distinct from that of Bush and Obama’s, for Trump has started seeing Pakistan as a contributor to the elements that keep the US entangled in Afghanistan

In his maiden State of the Union address, the US president asserted that in future ‘foreign assistance will go to America’s friends only’. Though the president made no mention of Pakistan in histalk yet examined Afghanistan imbroglio in detail saying ‘our military is no longer undermined by artificial timelines, and we no longer tell our enemies our plans’.

Trump also asserted the need to keep the nation safe from terrorist activities. He announced that he had formally crossed out Barack Obama’s arrangement to close the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. “We must be clear,” he said. “Terrorists are not merely criminals. They are unlawful enemy combatants. And when captured overseas, they should be treated like the terrorists they are.” He additionally called for Congress to sanction ‘all necessary power’ for the US to detain “terrorists” caught abroad.

Now the things obvious are, Trump is also changing the gears in Afghanistan as he enters his second year in the office. Thousand more advisers will be sent to help Afghan security forces.A year ago, the Pentagon had already started sending extra 3,000 troops to Afghanistan, raising the US force strength to 14,000 troops. Likewise, the rules of engagement have already been altered, thus allowing greater offensive air strikes against Taliban. Extensive drone strikes inside Pakistan to target terrorist sanctuaries are also on a rise.

Moreover, according to the most recent report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Construction (SIGAR) to the US congress, the Taliban fighters whom the US led forces have spent billions of dollars trying to defeat, are now openly active in 70 percent of the Afghanistan. This clearly shows the utter failure of Afghan and the coalition forces in the region.

Now the questions that arise here are, if all the above don’t represent any shift in the strategy, what does?

Similarly, whence the President avowed that the American future assistance is not meant for enemies was he referring to Pakistan?

Likewise, does Trump’s call for authorisation of ‘all necessary powers’ for the US to detain terrorists who are caught abroad hints a probable unilateral action by the US?

To conclude, these all are the questions that need to be answered well in time, for Trump has already started the year with a bang and is also quite likely that he may end it in a whimper.

The writer is Research Associate, Strategic Vision Institute and can be reached at Ubaid@thesvi.org

Published in Daily Times, February 12^th 2018.