By Chuck Pena
Former President George W. Bush does not agree with President Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from America’s longest war in Afghanistan. That shouldn’t come as a surprise since it was Bush who launched the war in response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. However, it’s telling that in his interview with German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, Bush did not cite U.S. national security as the reason for his disagreement. Rather, he said he is “afraid Afghan women and girls are going to suffer unspeakable harm.” But that was never the basis for the use of military force.
The Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) approved by Congress on Sept. 14, 2001, was “to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he [the president] determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons.” However desirable it might be, there is no mention of ensuring women’s rights.
As president, Bush made the correct decision for military intervention in Afghanistan because the mission was narrowly focused on decimating al Qaeda and punishing the Taliban government for giving safe haven to the terror group. It only took a few weeks to depose the Taliban and al Qaeda’s senior leadership was crippled and scattered over the next several months. But rather than declare “mission accomplished,” Bush made the decision to quickly morph the war from what was originally a counterterrorism operation in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks into nation-building and a counterinsurgency war to protect a U.S.-installed Afghan government. This war was never germane to U.S. national security and has lasted nearly two decades.
This piece was originally published in The Hill on July 22, 2021. Read more HERE.