The Plan to Exploit Afghanistan for Its Resources Is a Really Bad Idea
A contractor-led role in Afghanistan would confirm the narrative that America wants perpetual warfare and to rob the country of its riches.
As the Taliban rises, the clock is ticking. Beltway Bandits and Afghan officials—virtually all of whom are dual nationals or married to foreigners, and have one foot out the door—are trying to goad Trump into jumping headfirst into the Afghan quicksand.
Trump must know that there will be no “winning” in Afghanistan. But as the advice he is getting shows, there are many ways to lose.
Arif Rafiq (arifcrafiq) is president of Vizier Consulting, LLC, a political risk advisory company, a nonresident fellow at the Middle East Institute, and a fellow at the Center for Global Policy.
Image: A labourer takes a break at a coal dump site outside Mazar-i-Sharif, November 6, 2014. Picture taken on November 6, 2014. REUTERS/Anil Usyan.