Antiwar.com Weekly Newsletter for April,28 2021

Your source for foreign policy news.

April 28th, 2021

How We End the Forever War

The U.S. does not know how to end its wars. Even when US troops are withdrawn from another country, US involvement in the war there does not necessarily end. The Trump administration pulled troops out of Somalia last year, but US military operations in Somalia continue. President Biden has committed to withdrawing the remaining troops from Afghanistan, but it is simply understood that US special forces, drones, and jets will continue to conduct operations in the country for the foreseeable future. The troops move, but the wars continue. As if to drive this point home, Gen. McKenzie, the head of CENTCOM, recently stated that the war on terrorism "is probably not going to end." He could have dropped the probably. When the goals of a war are unachievable, it is not possible for the war to end when our government is determined to keep fighting it no matter what. Like every other war the US has fought since 1945, the forever war is a war of choice. Unless there are major changes in policy, the "war on terror" will outlive the US troop presence in Afghanistan.

By Daniel Larison

Pentagon Deploys Additional Forces to Afghanistan Over Fears of Taliban Attacks

The US is deploying additional forces to Afghanistan and the surrounding regions to aid in President Biden's plan to withdraw all combat troops by September 11th.

Since Biden broke the US-Taliban peace deal by extending the withdrawal deadline, attacks against US forces in Afghanistan could start up again after May 1st, the original pull-out deadline.

The Pentagon said that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin approved the deployment of a number of B-52 bombers to Afghanistan, two of which already arrived. Austin also ordered the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower to stay in the Gulf region.

By Dave DeCamp

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US Still Servicing Saudi Warplanes That are Bombing Yemen

The Biden administration has finally clarified the extent to which it is still supporting Saudi Arabias military in Yemen.

In comments to Vox, Pentagon officials admitted that the US is still maintaining Saudi Arabia's warplanes by using contractors. The US could cancel the contracts at any time, which would effectively ground the Saudi Air Force, ending the vicious bombing campaign that has been raging since March 2015.

"The United States continues to provide maintenance support to Saudi Arabia's Air Force given the critical role it plays in Saudi air defense and our longstanding security partnership," a Pentagon spokesperson told Vox over the weekend.

By Dave DeCamp

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US Central Command Downgrades Former War on Terrorism To Confront China, Russia, and Iran

For twenty years U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has waged the bulk of military operations under the rubric of what Washington formerly named the War on Terror or Global War on Terrorism, including wars in and strikes against Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and Yemen. The US and its NATO allies have also based and transited combat forces in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in support of the war in Afghanistan. In fact Central Command and the campaign against Sunni Muslim armed extremists have become almost synonymous, aside from operations in Somalia and far less so other parts of Africa. Though Somalia is directly across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen.

By Rick Rozoff

The Philippines: America's Perpetually Useless Ally

China has parked its fishing fleet in waters claimed by the Philippines. Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte has fulminated ineffectively. So far, at least, the Biden administration has declined to go to war on Manila's behalf. But the possibility remains so long as the U.S. foolishly guarantees Philippine security.

Indeed, some things never change. One is the limited value of the Philippines as an ally. Its people are friendly and welcoming - and quite pro-American. But it is a semi-failed state with a military to match. Manila is a sad example of how the US has picked up the old German habit of allying with the least stable nations possessing the weakest militaries - as Berlin did with Austro-Hungary in World War I and Italy in World War II.

By Doug Bandow

Washington's Lonely Crusade To Defend Taiwan

Some alarming trends are developing in East Asia that could lead to a military collision between the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC). Taiwan is the principal flashpoint, and Washington may find itself virtually alone in waging a war to defend the island.

Beijing's military pressure on Taiwan is mounting steadily, as Xi Jinping's regime now seems to recognize that its chances of inducing the Taiwanese to accept political unification with the PRC peacefully have receded to the vanishing point.

By Ted Galen Carpenter

CENTCOM Commander Doesn't Think Iraq Wants US to Leave

Gareth Porter on Biden's Promised Withdrawal from Afghanistan

Ukrainian President Makes Another Trip to Front Line as US Provides More Military Aid

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