Biden Says He ’s Ending Forever Wars. He Isn’t.

John GlaserPresident Biden is playing hide the ball with America ’s Forever Wars. In his public pronouncements, he depicts his administration as diligently rolling back the numerous post‐​9/​11 U.S. military misadventures. He delivered a number of speeches declaring an end to the U.S. war in Afghanistan and specifying a timeline for a withdrawal of U.S. troops by September. In April, the administration reached a tacit agreement with the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al ‐​Kadhimi to officially conclude the U.S. combat mission in Iraq. “There will be no U.S. military forces in a combat role by the end of the year, ”says a Biden senior official.This public rhetoric is profoundly misleading. Biden certainly knows that bringing an end to these far ‐​flung “counter‐​terrorism” missions is popular with the electorate. That may explain the eagerness to portray his administration’s approach as one of ending endless wars, as the slogan goes. But it is not true.In Afghanistan, it looks like most U.S. forces will be withdrawn soon, although a substantial contingent of forces will remain to guard the U.S. embassy. That said, officials have made clear —somewhere beneath the headlines and the prime time coverage—that the U.S. mission in Afghanistan will continue indefinitely. In withdrawing from Afghanistan, the administration sought basing access in neighboring Central Asian countries, and U.S. military assets are being re...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs