Explain the goal of war

With U.S. President Trump pledging more troops and certain victory, this might be a good time to remember why his nation went to war in Afghanistan 16 years ago. It could be helpful in deciding what “victory” looks like, or when it would be time to leave.

In going after Osama bin Laden, president George W. Bush declared a “war on terrorism,” which is an openended conflict given that there is no end to the list of miscreants in this world who seek to terrorize their way to power or for another reason. They do this individually, or collectively, in the name of a religion, an ethnicity, a grievance or sheer madness.

Islamic State founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed 11 years ago. The Russians claim they killed his successor, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in a June air strike. But even as ISIS struggles in Iraq and Syria, its followers persist, including those recruited online to make lone-wolf attacks in the United States.

Will defeating the Taliban keep al-Qaida and ISIS out of Afghanistan? Will that end terrorist threats to the United States? Not likely.

That doesn’t mean the fight shouldn’t be taken to the terrorists. It means the cost of that war, in lives and dollars, must be weighed against the price of fighting other threats to America’s future, such as crime, poverty and poor health, which are home grown.