First Things First: Taliban Deal Allows US to Focus on China

US-Taliban peace deal to open the door to the “great power competition” and steer US away from the “small wars.”

The US, China and Russia

The Middle East might soon have a US troop count of zero, several leaders hint, as the Trump administration’s recent peace deal with the Taliban could result in a massive troop withdrawal from countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, as the US wants to focus more on Asia.

With President Trump’s burning desire to end the numerous wars against extremists, and Defense Secretary Mark Esper sharing the vision, the next step after the Taliban deal seems to be to bring as many troops home as possible, in preparation for a potential future clash with China.

“The trouble was the Islamic State burst onto the scene… lo and behold it was right back to a focus on the Middle East and small wars,” policy analyst and Columbia University professor Stephen Biddle commented on the issue, believing it to be quite unlikely that the Pentagon will completely erase its presence from hot spots like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Esper on Saturday, hinted at the prospect of a complete US withdrawal, although he added that if terrorist threats emerge, the US “will not hesitate” to strike them down should the Taliban fail to uphold its promise. Esper added that the ultimate goal is for there to be no American troops left in the region, although “we still have a long way to go.”

The key to how many troops will be able to return home in future months will be decided by whether or not the Taliban will comply with terms in the agreement, although it is likely that even in the case of a full withdrawal, US special ops troops will remain stationed in nearby countries for emergency cases.