Over time we seem to have taken the concept of “mission creep” to a whole new level. I think most Americans are weary of endless military engagements with nebulous objectives.
That said, I suppose an argument could be made for keeping a small force there but the problem, as always, is what starts out small is likely to expand in unanticipated ways.
You’re right, there’s no good answer. In any decision there are always pro’s and con’s. The object is to try to maximize the pro’s but be prepared to deal with changing circumstances. Then again, some problems are intractable. Those are the ones you don’t want to get stuck in.
Yes. My concern has always and only been that the full assessment of 'cons' has not been given consideration.
The pro of pulling out, and its a very powerful one, is no more loss of American life TODAY. I worry about tomorrow.
A few of the cons, and they should not be taken lightly, include
1) the fact that our strategy in dealing with terrorism and other threats to national interests has come to depend on partnerships. Every time we leave partners in the lurch, we make it more difficult to convince anyone we are reliable partners.
2) Intel. Nothing, no amount of surveillance or technology, beats having a presence, even a small one, on the ground, talking with locals, understanding the politics, knowing who should or should not get support, and who to trust should we need to step back in. You have to have relationships to maintain this, and that is exactly the purpose of SF.
3) Its already being reported that ISIS prisoners are getting set free or freeing themselves because our former partners, the Kurds, in the wake of our withdrawal, have lowered the priority of this to focus on fighting off the Turks. So another hard won battle gone to waste, similar to when Obama pulled out of Iraq. Those fighters WILL kill again, either in Iraq, or in Europe, or who knows where.
Frankly, peace has a price (in lives and treasure) for maintenance which is far lower than the price of achieving it. If we don't pay the maintenance price, we will eventually pay the larger war price. The footprint of advisors that was there was small, smaller than what still remains in Afghanistan today. I would argue that pulling out of Afghanistan would have made more sense strategically than abandoning the Kurds.