This May Help Explain Trump's Reversal on Afghanistan

Here's Dolt 45 on his Afghanistan decision:

My original instinct was to pull out -- and, historically, I like following my instincts. But all my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office; in other words, when you're President of the United States. So I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle.

  Fox News

Sure. He studied Afghanistan in detail. Although his speech was written for him, he put that in, you can bet your last dime.

I'm glad he clarified what he meant by sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office.

These are the reasons he gave for staying and increasing troop numbers in Afghanistan:

First, our nation must seek an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifices of lives.

[...]

Second, the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable.

[...]

Third and finally, I concluded that the security threats we face in Afghanistan and the broader region are immense.

[...]

When I became President, I was given a bad and very complex hand, but I fully knew what I was getting into: big and intricate problems. But, one way or another, these problems will be solved -- I'm a problem solver -- and, in the end, we will win.

Yeah, he also added the "I'm a problem solver" bit himself.

As I outlined in my speech in Saudi Arabia three months ago, America and our partners are committed to stripping terrorists of their territory, cutting off their funding, and exposing the false allure of their evil ideology.

[...]

We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists.

[...]

Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.

Nobody, these days, but the most die hard Trump fans - and maybe not even them - believes our goal is to end terrorism.

Terrorists who slaughter innocent people will find no glory in this life or the next. They are nothing but thugs, and criminals, and predators, and -- that's right -- losers. Working alongside our allies, we will break their will, dry up their recruitment, keep them from crossing our borders, and yes, we will defeat them, and we will defeat them handily.

And nobody believes that bullshit any more either. His whole speech was about stopping terrorism. Who's even listening to that crap these days? (Yep, he added the "losers" bit.)  It was a speech written for 1940 America.

With our resolve, we will ensure that your service and that your families will bring about the defeat of our enemies and the arrival of peace.

[...]

Another fundamental pillar of our new strategy is the integration of all instruments of American power -- diplomatic, economic, and military -- toward a successful outcome.

Except we don't have any diplomats.

Now, here are a couple of articles taking a somewhat different angle on the issue:

After holding a series of bilateral and trilateral meetings, Islamabad, Moscow and Beijing are hammering out a peaceful solution to the Afghan war to prevent terrorism and radicalism from spilling into their borders.

[...]

Fears that the U.S. may be interested in dragging out the Afghan war for its own strategic interests in the region have drawn Islamabad, Moscow and Beijing closer together. Some experts believe that the three nations may be planning to stage a Syria-style intervention in Afghanistan, and the possibility of a formal alliance between Pakistan, Russia and China could transform all of Asia.

[...]

The prospect of a China-Russia-Pakistan superpower triangle seems to be not only sending shockwaves around the world but also attracting other countries to joining the three allied nations as they seek solutions to some of the most pressing issues while also boosting trade, economic relations, military and security ties.

Earlier this year, Iran formally expressed its interest in joining the alliance of Islamabad, Moscow and Beijing to help find a political solution to the Afghan war. After seemingly giving up hope of joining the European Union, Turkey has also shown a great amount of interest in joining Russia, China and Pakistan to possibly form a superpower circle.

[...]

In recent months, Pakistan, Russia and China have enhanced their efforts to bring regional stability by promoting peace in Afghanistan. Last month, sources within the Pakistan Army claimed that they had spoken to new U.S. generals within the Trump administration and warned them that if the U.S. does not sort out the “total mess” in Afghanistan, Russia will.

  Value Walk

The Pentagon is fully aware of China’s presence in Afghanistan. But this isn’t good news. Fact is, the 15-year war in Central Asia isn’t going well the United States. China’s ascent in Afghanistan simply underscores the extent of America’s troubles there. Our loss is China’s gain.

China’s western border is threatened by jihadist terrorism, just as America is threatened. So it makes sense that Americans and the Chinese would align to fight terrorists in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the Chinese are conducting these limited counterterrorism missions with the Pakistanis, against American interests.

[...]

Turns out, Afghanistan—despite being a rocky, mountainous country split by tribalism and ruled in the hinterlands by warlords—is chock full of valuable natural resources. It may not possess oil, but, it does possess copper and other rare minerals that a country like China desperately needs.

[...]

China recently gained approval from the Taliban to begin extracting from the country’s largest copper mine, Mes Aynak. This is the start of major Chinese investment in Afghanistan’s natural resources. The fact that the Chinese went to the Taliban (who control the mine) is telling, too. Make no mistake: it is widely assumed that the Taliban will retake Afghanistan—if not entirely, then at least partially—once U.S. and NATO forces leave.

[...]

By operating in tandem with Afghan security forces, the Chinese further pull Afghanistan away from Washington’s wobbling political orbit and closer to Beijing. This will allow the Chinese to secure their economic interests in Afghanistan, at America’s expense.

  American Greatness

And, there you have some reality.

P.S.  Imagine naming your site "American Greatness".

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE: