Afghanistan Drawdown Agreement still a little Scary


If you have not read the article by Amir Shah and Heidi Vogt of the Associated Press titled US to defend Afghanistan for decade after drawdown, I suggest you give it a look.  While I normally can understand some of the moves made by this administration, I am having a difficult time defending this one.  The purpose can be easily explained but there are parts of this agreement that I believe could be problematic and very hard to swallow.



The reports states that in the agreement “the United States also pledged it will not launch attacks on other countries from Afghan soil” and while I can see partially why that would be important, a clearer explanation needs to be made.   The report further explains that “the draft agreement on a long-delayed strategic partnership agreement ensures Americans will provide military and financial support to the Afghan people for at least a decade beyond the 2014 deadline.”  This is one place where I really have a problem mainly because it is not clear why America would still be locked in with providing military and financial support unless we were getting something in return.  I do find myself standing wholeheartedly behind this next item reported in the previously mentioned article which says “the agreement also says the U.S. will help support Afghan economic development, health care programs, education and social initiatives, and stresses that the U.S. remains committed to defending human rights and the right of free speech” basically because if we are going to invest in another country, we need to have a strong voice in what our investment is buying.



For those who has strongly advocated for the end of war in Afghanistan, this agreement signals that the end is near.  They can now begin to see a light at the end of this tunnel and I am sure that there were serious discussions being held by and between both parties.  Each trying to make sure that they get some of what they needed to satisfy those that they were negotiating for.   I applaud those who were there day in and day out trying to make this work and succeeding in the end but this agreement still leaves a lot of questions unanswered and therefore causes me some concern but then I am just a mere sideliner. 

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