ited States should also set measurable goals for Afghanistan. For every goal that is met, an additional layer of troops would be removed. Goals such as increasing employment rates, or ensuring 80% of students are back in school, and economy is revitalized by 5% yearly. With American presence still in Afghanistan, security wouldn’t be something solely provided by the obdurate Afghan military. Most of the literature on reconstruction efforts place a greater emphasis on the security and economy streams, but I think, in the case of Afghanistan, greater emphasis on the social aspects would prove to be more effective. Critics of this approach would undoubtedly mention the extended time commitment to launch this approach, however, I think this is better than the alternative which would to risk attacks from terrorist groups. The Taliban also demanded a removal of foreign presence as a demand for a peace treaty, so we would need to reexamine other ways to give them their sovereignty.

Recommendation

The United States is committed to the security and protection of the American people and to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. As such, the main concern with the expedient removal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is that it jeopardizes American national security. I, thus, recommend the United States strategically reduce troops over an extended period of time and reallocate resources to work towards the reconstruction of its economy and rehabilitation of its citizens.

________ Agree _________ Disagree _________ Let’s Discuss