Strategic Assessment

Seventeen years into the war in Afghanistan, the Trump administration has an opportunity to fashion a delicate balance between isolationism, the imperative to keep America safe from terror groups, the need to find a way out of the Afghan theater, and the obligation to give sovereignty to the Afghan people. President Trump’s lenient approach has allowed the military to respond to the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, which the Taliban have used to take more territory and intensify their terror activity to a level not seen since the beginning of the war. Facing a struggle between global forces over Afghanistan, the United States must present a clear vision for the country and depart from past approaches that have led to unsatisfactory results elsewhere, for example, in Iraq. This article proposes several paths to rebuild trust and hand Afghanistan over to local actors, such as tribal leaders, and regional actors, such as China and India, while preserving key American interests.