With the U.S. election days away, neither candidate has articulated a clear policy on Afghanistan, where the United States spent 20 years before a chaotic withdrawal in August 2021.
While Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, has avoided the topic of Afghanistan during her campaign, her Republican opponent, Donald J. Trump, has repeatedly criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S. exit, calling it “chaotic.” Trump, who has made Afghanistan a recurring theme at his rallies, has condemned the abandonment of Bagram Air Base and the billions in U.S. military equipment left behind.
“We will strengthen and modernize our military — we gave so much of it away to Afghanistan. Can you believe that?” Trump said at a recent campaign event in Greensboro, N.C. “They even gave away night goggles. Now the Afghans have brand new ones, better than what we have.”
In one campaign debate, Afghanistan came up briefly, with Trump emphasizing that if elected, he would seek the immediate dismissal of military officials involved in the withdrawal. “I will ask for the resignation of every single military official who touched the Afghanistan disaster,” he said. “I want their resignation on my desk in the Oval Office.”
Despite Afghanistan’s prominence in Trump’s rhetoric, Harris has avoided discussing the topic on the campaign trail, choosing instead to focus on domestic issues.
Experts say a change in administration could alter U.S. engagement with Afghanistan. “Regardless of the election outcome, it’s likely that the U.S. approach to the Taliban will shift,” said Ghulam Farooq Aleem, a university lecturer. He added that any assistance provided to Afghanistan under President Biden may be reconsidered under a new administration.
While the Biden administration implemented the Doha Agreement and oversaw the full withdrawal of American forces, it has maintained limited engagement with the Taliban. The State Department, however, has clarified that it does not recognize or seek to normalize relations with the Taliban.
