By Christopher Specht ‘19
Not long after the U.S. considered withdrawing troops from Afghanistan entirely, stability has decreased, and peace is becoming more unattainable as time passes. President Obama had hoped to leave Afghanistan in better shape after America’s decade long military presence in the country, but in October of 2015 he deemed the country too fragile to withdraw American troops entirely. With ISIL and other groups gaining ground in the Middle East, the situation in Afghanistan is becoming more precarious, meaning the U.S.’s foreign policy decisions are carrying more importance than ever before.On March 2nd, Afghanistan’s Indian consulate in Jalalabad was attacked by both suicide bombers and gunmen. At least nine people were injured, but further casualties were fortunately prevented after the gunmen were killed by consulate security. No group has taken responsibility as of yet, but it is likely that either the Taliban or an ISIL affiliate in Afghanistan is behind the attack.The attack itself is relatively minor, and similar attacks are not new to Jalalabad. However, the context and circumstances surrounding the attack should be cause for concern. The Afghan government, which has been brutally fighting insurgent groups for the past decade, is increasingly unable to secure and control its own country. Infighting between the Taliban and the Islamic State has caused Afghanistan to deteriorate. The Taliban controls more of the country than at any time since the American invasion in 2001, and the Islamic State hopes to make territorial gains in the region as well. The U.S. seems to have been drawn into a foreign policy quagmire; America must either redeploy troops to the Middle East to curb the influence of insurgent groups or avoid involvement and risk the empowerment of terrorist organizations. How America will respond to the developments in Afghanistan is uncertain, especially since America’s 2016 elections will result in a new president, who will surely have quite a bit to handle from the very first day in office.Sources:http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-general-takes-command-in-afghanistan-amid-worsening-violence-1456937344http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35705774http://www.wsj.com/articles/indian-consulate-in-eastern-afghanistan-hit-by-suicide-bomber-gunmen-1456912063http://bigstory.ap.org/article/50d29d8b2d444fdcb963d38dd792e21f/timeline-us-troops-afghanistan-2001