President Trump’s decision to continue drawing down troops in Afghanistan and Iraq has set off ideological warfare within the Republican Party, provoking a heated debate over the party’s approach to foreign policy on his way out of the Oval Office.
Trump campaigned as an “America First” critic of “endless wars,” including the nearly 20-year intervention in Afghanistan, and the invasion of Iraq he described as a “big, fat mistake.” This put him in direct opposition to the foreign policy of the most recent previous Republican president, George W. Bush, and congressional Republicans who believe the United States must maintain a strong presence in Middle Eastern hot spots.
This includes some GOP lawmakers who were not in Washington during the Bush years. “Headlines about ‘bringing the boys home’ sound good, but that’s not what’s happening,” said Sen. Ben Sasse, a Nebraska Republican, in a statement. “After this retreat, there will still be American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The most important question is whether those remaining troops will be able to prevent al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, Iranian proxies, and others from plotting attacks that can spill American blood, or if they will be exposed as jihadis gain ground.”
“Withdrawing troops rapidly might make some people feel better, but it won’t be good for American security,” tweeted Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican. “We will be right back in the same place as pre-9/11. No deterrence, no situational awareness, vulnerable to emboldened terrorists.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, a freshman Republican from Missouri, came out in support of the president in a letter to acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller. “The American people deserve an end to this war,” Hawley wrote regarding Afghanistan. “They deserve to know their sons and daughters will not be put in harm’s way unless it is absolutely necessary. And they deserve to see their tax dollars actually being used to defend them — from Chinese domination, above all — or reinvested at home, in their families and communities.”
Will Ruger, Trump’s nominee to serve as ambassador to Afghanistan, pushed back against arguments for continuing the war in a Washington Post op-ed. “This much is certain: When victory proves elusive, they will argue, against all evidence, that a few more troops, dollars and years will do the trick,” he and co-author Rajan Menon wrote. “They have offered such assurance before. The results are plain for all to see.”
Ruger and Menon contended, “Arguably, the most important foreign policy pledge President Trump made during the 2016 campaign was to end the ‘forever wars’ in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Some argued Trump wasn’t going far enough. “Reducing the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq to 2,500 would be progress, but the drawdown should continue to zero. Full withdrawal should be as orderly and deliberate as possible — but not to the point of needless delay,” said Benjamin Friedman, Defense Priorities’s policy director.
Among the top Republicans on the relevant committees, it was a split decision. “I have been assured by Acting Secretary of Defense Miller and the president’s national security adviser, Ambassador O’Brien, that they are consulting with our allies, and that, with their plan, we will be able to carry out our mission of protecting the American people from terrorist attacks originating in Afghanistan, safeguarding Afghan gains and supporting our partners and allies,” said Sen. James Inhofe, the Oklahoma Republican who is the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“I believe that these additional reductions of American troops from terrorist areas are a mistake,” said Rep. Mac Thornberry, the Texan who serves as the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee. “Further reductions in Afghanistan will also undercut negotiations there; the Taliban has done nothing – met no condition – that would justify this cut.”
At the 2020 Republican National Convention, speaker after speaker praised Trump for starting no new wars as president and trying to end several campaigns. “He called America’s endless wars what they were: A disaster,” said former Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell.
“But make no mistake, President Trump is no hawk,” said Keith Kellogg, the national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence. “He wisely wields the sword when required, but believes in seeking peace instead of perpetual conflict.”
Still, influential Republicans remained opposed to troop withdrawals. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky compared it not only to President Barack Obama’s 2011 departure from Iraq but also “the humiliating American departure of Saigon in 1975” following the U.S. loss in the Vietnam war.
Debates over whether to continue some existing military adventures abroad contributed to Trump’s break with former Defense Secretary James Mattis and former National Security Adviser John Bolton, leading to their departure from the administration, and has led to Pentagon shake-ups late in his term.
While Trump has not conceded the presidential race and continues to contest the results in several states, he is expected to be succeeded by President-elect Joe Biden in January.
