# Trump Wants to Draw Down Troops in Afghanistan and Iraq: Good or Bad Idea? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 17, 2020, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-draw-down-troops-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-good-or-bad-idea/925840 "2020-11-17T23:13:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-draw-down-troops-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-good-or-bad-idea/925840/61 "2020-11-20T17:08:31Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > You want ISIS to have a home base where they can essentially have free rein to generate their own economy, fund their own armies, and launch devastating terror attacks? I believe that the number of people who are committed to launching terrorist attacks like those in France, and all the other places for that matter, is so small relative to the population in the Middle East, that a “home base” is not needed. A basement, perhaps. This is what I see as the problem for being afraid of ISIS. We have overreacted to the actual threat. This is NOT to say one doesn’t exist. But going to war with Iraq and Afghanistan did nothing to prevent terrorist attacks, ISIS cannot now nor ever will be able to attack us with their own army, just like Iran cannot and will not. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2020, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-draw-down-troops-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-good-or-bad-idea/925840/62 "2020-11-20T17:11:15Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > My concern is that we will see a repeat of the disastrous decision to up and leave Northern Syria without any preparation or thought of the consequences. Fair enough. That makes sense to me. Certainly we should be confident that the military establishment knows what they are doing. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2020, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-draw-down-troops-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-good-or-bad-idea/925840/63 "2020-11-20T19:24:42Z")
The question wasn’t whether going to war in the first place was a mistake – it certainly was with regard to Iraq, which also diverted resources that could have been used to help stabilize Afghanistan. The past can’t be undone; the question isn’t how to undo a past invasion, but how to responsibly manage the occupation so that we can turn over territory to people who are capable of governing themselves. Left unchecked, we will be dealing with ISIS at some point. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2020, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-draw-down-troops-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-good-or-bad-idea/925840/64 "2020-11-20T19:34:59Z")
Seems to me that the major historical lesson that can be applied to Afghanistan (as was, it seemed to me, well understood by current opponents of withdrawal back when Trump wasn’t present) is: we aren’t doing any good there, and shouldn’t be there. I think that if Trump was not president every single person in this thread would think it was obviously the right thing to do. I think it is obviously the right thing to do. I think it’s maybe the only right thing Trump has ever wanted to do, and I don’t really care why he wants to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2020, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-draw-down-troops-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-good-or-bad-idea/925840/65 "2020-11-20T20:09:10Z")
I could be convinced that drawing down (not totally removing) soldiers in Afghanistan might be a good idea. I think the Taliban will likely fill whatever power vacuum ensues, but they’ll do it anyway if the U.S. sticks around for another decade and then leaves. Afghanistan has been vanquishing soldiers of empires for a long, long time. I don’t see a path to a future stable country there at all. So keep enough soldiers there to smash any terrorist training camps and to supress any large scale terrorist force from building, and that’s it. Recognize that it’s likely a permanent situation, at least until something drastic changes. I don’t know what the right number of soldiers is. Iraq is another matter. ISIS still exists, and Iran is still a major problem. I’d take a lot more convincing that drawing down in Iraq is a good idea after the massive disaster that happened the last time it was tried. If the Abraham accords pull in more Arab countries in a mutual defense pact with Israel, maybe that can help the U.S. get out of there. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-draw-down-troops-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-good-or-bad-idea/925840/66 "2020-11-20T20:32:24Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > The question wasn’t whether going to war in the first place was a mistake – it certainly was with regard to Iraq, which also diverted resources that could have been used to help stabilize Afghanistan. Correct, I just added my opinion on that particular question. But you brought up a “home base”, etc., and I gave you my opinion on why I think you are wrong. As for us inevitably dealing with ISIS, at what point do you think that will be, and why? Based upon the recent history of ISIS, I don’t think we needed a military solution then, and I don’t think we will need to deal with them militarily in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2020, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-draw-down-troops-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-good-or-bad-idea/925840/67 "2020-11-20T20:37:58Z")
To reiterate what I’ve said before, I think the reason 9/11 happened, and why ISIS arose to the degree that they did as far as developing and aiding terrorist attacks, is because they don’t like the west’s military presence in their part of the world. We should pull out all troops from the region, and thus remove the reason they want to harm us. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2020, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-draw-down-troops-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-good-or-bad-idea/925840/68 "2020-11-21T15:30:32Z")
> **[Chief Afghan peace envoy says US troops pulling out too soon](https://apnews.com/article/turkey-afghanistan-ankara-taliban-abdullah-abdullah-5bca81715d421748897b07409aec6660)** > > ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Afghanistan's chief peace envoy Abdullah Abdullah said Saturday that the U.S. decision to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan has come too soon, as his country is still struggling to attain peace and security amid an... ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-draw-down-troops-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-good-or-bad-idea/925840/69 "2020-11-21T15:36:03Z")
Any day would be “too soon” . ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-draw-down-troops-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-good-or-bad-idea/925840/70 "2020-11-21T15:56:37Z")
Forgive me if I give more weight to his opinion than to yours… ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-draw-down-troops-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-good-or-bad-idea/925840/71 "2020-11-21T17:05:17Z")
You are forgiven 😁 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-draw-down-troops-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-good-or-bad-idea/925840.md?page=3)