# Why are we still in Afghanistan and Iraq? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 5, 2020, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-still-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/845985 "2020-01-05T18:53:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2020, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-still-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/845985/41 "2020-01-19T16:14:25Z")
> [@Mk\_VII](#): > > They have quit quite a number of bases in England; some have been repurposed and some are just decaying quietly. To be fair, that’s just England in general. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-still-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/845985/42 "2020-01-23T06:33:49Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The ideal would be to turn the Middle East into a region like Western Europe, where the local populations have no desire to upset world order. Our stated aim is for our military to provide a period of security to allow these conditions to develop and then let the local governments maintain the status quo. > > Unfortunately, there is no evidence that the local populations are moving towards a desire to maintain world order. Most local populations seem to be revisionist in one form or another and favor the use to extreme means to achieve the changes they want. > > So we have a lesser unofficial goal of getting stable local governments established which are capable to maintaining themselves while keeping their populations from expressing their revisionist desires; in other words, we want dictatorships. > > The problem (putting aside the human rights issues) is that most of the local regimes find that they can more easily maintain their own power by making deals with the local extremists. They agree to ignore the activities of the extremists as long as the extremists agree to direct their efforts outside the country and not undermine the regime. > > Our military offers an alternative; we can suppress the extremists. This means the regime feels less pressure to make deals with the extremists. And realistically, it means the regimes become obligated to the United States for the military support they need to maintain themselves. As succinct an answer as I have ever seen on the issue, and sadly I agree that’s where we are. ---
**Author:** ![Yakamaniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@Yakamaniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yakamaniac)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-still-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/845985/43 "2020-01-29T02:15:35Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > Right after we invaded Iraq, I asked a military officer friend how we were going to extract ourselves when it was over. He looked at me like I was crazy and assured me we would never leave. Now that we have strong bases all around the Middle East, why would we just give them up? Have we ever give up a single base anywhere in the world? The Subic Bay Naval base was given to the Philippines. Was a major U.S. naval base. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2021, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-still-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/845985/44 "2021-04-15T13:10:10Z")
An update in Afghanistan: > **[How Biden went his own way on Afghanistan withdrawal | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/14/politics/biden-overrules-advisers-afghanistan-withdrawal/index.html)** > > President Joe Biden ordered the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan over the advice of some of his senior-most advisers in the Pentagon and State Department, leaders who are now charged with carrying out the particulars of the complicated... ---
**Author:** ![ralfy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ralfy/32/600_2.png) [@ralfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralfy)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-still-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/845985/45 "2021-09-03T08:58:24Z")
It’s part of warmongering: over 800 military bases and installations worldwide, with several used to encircle Russia and China while coercing weaker countries, including the Philippines. The expansion is also meant to protect U.S. interests, with continuous conflict needed to justify high military costs, which with coercion allowed the rich to gain, with all costs passed on to the public. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-still-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/845985.md?page=2)