Opinion | U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was the right call

4 min

The rapid withdrawal by the United States from Afghanistan nearly two years ago was unquestionably bungled, as a recent scathing review shows. It was nevertheless the right strategic decision, as subsequent events have painfully demonstrated.

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The chaotic and tragic nature of the final retreat obscures the circumstances that led to the decision to withdraw. The United States had been engaged in a war with the Taliban for roughly 20 years. The country spent nearly $838 billion on military and reconstruction efforts, yet things were at a stalemate. Washington and its Afghan and NATO allies were preventing the Taliban from gaining control of most of the nation’s cities but faced increasing pressure in the more populous countryside. This situation was still costing about $45 billion a year and the deployment of 10,000 to 15,000 U.S. military personnel.

Washington could have continued to prop up the unstable and corrupt Afghan government had it chosen to make that commitment. But it’s worth looking at what that would mean in today’s world, given everything that has transpired since.

A glance at the map shows that U.S. troops were essentially surrounded by hostile forces. To the west lies Iran, a bitter enemy. To the north are three Russian allies: Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. To the east, a short border with China. All supplies to the beleaguered American troops flowed through Pakistan to the south.