Article

Hillary Clinton: We’ll Still Be In Afghanistan in 50 or 60 Years

Posted By admin On December 24, 2009 @ 3:06 pm In War on Terror | 242 Comments

Washington’s Blog
December 24, 2009

* A d v e r t i s e m e n t
*

On December 1st, President Obama talked about withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan within 18 months.

Everyone now knows that there is no firm withdrawal date from Afghanistan. See this and this.

But in testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee on December 2nd, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton actually gave a much longer horizon for the presence of U.S. troops in America:

Senator UDALL.— So, in an ideal world, we would get the job done militarily in the short term; in the medium and long term, we would have a presence in the region, economically, diplomacy, and politically.

Secretary CLINTON. Well, as we have with so many other countries— obviously, we have troops in a limited number of countries around the world; some have been there for 50, 60 years, but we have long-term economic assistance and development programs in many others. And we think that’s a likely outcome in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, that we would be there with a long-term commitment.

Does this mean that U.S. troops will be in Afghanistan in 50 year?

On the surface, Clinton’s statement could be interpreted to mean that troops will leave sooner, but that America will have long-term economic assistance and development programs in Afghanistan for many decades to come.

However, U.S. charities working in Afghanistan report that they are subject to Pentagon sponsorship and control, and so the Afghani people view them as part of the U.S. military (which hampers their aid work).

Therefore, whether or not troops will remain in Afghanistan for a half century or more, the Afghani people and the rest of the world may consider it a permanent occupation.

Remember also that – while the U.S. government has promised to withdraw by December 31, 2011 from Iraq – the U.S. is building numerous permanent military bases in that country. (see this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, and this). So talk is cheap.

Research related links

1. Hillary Clinton Pledges $100B for Developing Countries for Climate Change
2. Hillary Clinton promises new foreign policy approach
3. 500,000 Troops Will Be Required Over Five Years in Afghanistan
4. Gates Predicts U.S. Will be in Iraq and Afghanistan ‘for Years to Come’
5. Judicial Watch Announces Hillary Clinton Constitutionally Ineligible to Serve as Secretary of State
6. We Are Change: Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Get Confronted on Mother’s Day
7. Don’t discount Israel pre-emptive strike, Hillary Clinton warns Iran
8. Hillary Clinton Compares Margaret Sanger to Thomas Jefferson
9. Hillary Clinton admits that the CFR runs the Government
10. Hillary Clinton as Obama’s Secretary of State?
11. North Korea attacks ‘funny lady’ Hillary Clinton
12. NATO chief calls for more non-US troops in Afghanistan