Opposing view: Put a stop to America’s longest war

“It is time for this war in Afghanistan to end,” Gen. John Nicholson said as he relinquished command of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Seventeen years of war have shown no plausible theory of success to justify additional U.S. costs and more killing in Afghanistan. Though Nicholson directed his war-ending advice at the Taliban, and reiterated U.S. commitment to the fight, he offered no theory of victory.

Supporters of the war claim that its political purpose is to bring the Taliban to the bargaining table. The Taliban want U.S. departure; the U.S. wants Taliban capitulation. There is no common ground, and policymakers must know this.

The sad political purpose of endless U.S. military involvement is for leaders to be seen trying to prevent terrorists from once again launching international attacks out of Afghanistan. But the U.S. presence in Afghanistan cannot prevent future terrorist outrages.

The Taliban are growing in strength as the government’s hold on the country weakens. They thrive on fighting. The Islamic State, more extreme than al-Qaeda and a rival to the Taliban, has a foothold. Pakistan tolerates Taliban havens and may offer them support.

The United States should withdraw. We should tell the Taliban that our dispute with them is over, so long as they do not host international terrorists. If they are complicit in terror, the U.S. will retaliate.

We could continue to provide material support for the Afghan government so long as leaders seem able to use it to some purpose. Perhaps they can make a deal with their Taliban cousins, even if we can’t.

War is the extension of policy, aimed at national goals. Otherwise, it is just waste. It is plain that we have no actual strategic policy in Afghanistan — no plausible purpose other than using taxpayer money, the lives of American soldiers and the deaths of Afghan civilians caught in the crossfire to protect U.S. leaders against the possibility of future blame. America’s longest war should stop.

Barry R. Posen is Ford International Professor of Political Science at MIT.