Global reaction to President Donald Trump’s speech on the new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan:
An Australian military analyst says Trump’s speech set a “fairly low bar” in terms of success.
Military strategist David Kilcullen told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that Trump isn’t seeking to promote democracy or counter corruption, but simply noted military outcomes he is trying to achieve. Kilcullen said: “I think this is carefully shrouded in triumphalist rhetoric but it is actually quite a modest set of strategic goals.”
Kilcullen said Trump’s speech sounded as if it had been written by military officers working in the White House. Trump offered few specifics, such as whether more troops would be sent to Afghanistan. The president said the U.S. would shift away from a “time-based” approach, instead linking its assistance to results on the ground.
Kilcullen said Trump’s speech focused on fighting terrorism, rather than fighting an insurgency, and that will require more use of lethal force and a restrained approach to nation-building and economic development.