Not a surprise. Expect more US involvement in the Middle East and Southwest Asia under Joe.*
Nation-building: the US choice for failure.
Pentagon Chief Hints at Breaking Afghanistan Deal: No ‘Hasty’ Withdrawal
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told allies at the NATO defense ministerial on Thursday that the administration of President Joe Biden would not “undertake a hasty or disorderly withdrawal from Afghanistan,” suggesting a reconsideration of the May 2021 withdrawal date set by predecessor Donald Trump.
American armed forces will mark 20 years in Afghanistan in October 2021 in the event that Biden does not withdraw.
The Trump administration negotiated a peace agreement with the Taliban last year in an attempt to end America’s presence in the country. The deal would see American forces leave Afghanistan in May 2021 if the Taliban committed to ceasing its attack on the U.S. military and cut its ties to international jihadists groups like al-Qaeda. The Taliban agreed to the deal and has largely appeared to keep the first promise, but international observers have found little indication that the jihadists have attempted to end their relationship with similar groups. Taliban attacks on Afghan government forces have also increased as attacks on Americans have fallen.
Both the Taliban and the U.S. government have accused each other of failing to meet their commitments. This week, the head of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, published an open letter to the American people urging U.S. forces to leave.