At the Democratic presidential primary debate on Thursday night, Elizabeth Warren answered “Yes” to a simple question.
Namely, whether she would pull U.S. forces out of Afghanistan without a deal with the Taliban.
Her answer is a recipe for disaster. But whether you believe my contention or not, you should be able to admit that Warren’s follow-up line was a clear lie. Because Warren insisted not simply that America’s military presence in Afghanistan doesn’t assist our security, but that it does not provide for the benefit of Afghans.
I’m sorry, that’s just a bald-faced lie.
The proof of the lie is measured by two factors: the nature of the Taliban and its strategic intent, and the measure of support that U.S. forces in Afghanistan provide to Afghan forces fighting the Taliban.
On the first point, the Taliban are ideologically situated in a warped Pashtun interpretation of Deobandi Islam. Deeply antithetical to rights for women (something you think Warren might regard as positive for humanity) and to the notion of individual empowerment, the Afghan Taliban is determined to subjugate its fellow citizens under the flag of an evil empire. In this, it bears striking similarity to ISIS.
Perhaps it is not in the U.S. national interest to keep a deployment of military forces in Afghanistan simply to prevent the Taliban from subjugating other Afghans. Indeed, I would suggest that there is a limit to what we should be willing to do here (my priority is long term U.S. security in a viable Afghan government in control of major population centers).
Still, when Warren says that U.S. efforts against the Taliban do not help Afghans, she must plainly be regarded as lying.
