February 17, 2021
During his first visit of the Pentagon as America’s Commander-in-Chief, the US President Joe Biden vowed to work in collaboration with the Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin and leaders around the globe, in order to bring a responsible end to wars that have been going on for such a long time, he also ensured that terrorist threats cannot jeopardize the security of the Americans.
“As your commander in chief, I will never hesitate to use force to defend the vital interest of America, the American people and our allies around the world when necessary,” Biden said, adding that “the central indispensable mission of the Department of Defense is to deter aggression from our enemies, and if required to, fight and win wars to keep America safe.”
In the meantime, he guaranteed that force will always be a tool of last resort for America, not the first.
He also highlighted the role played by US Defense Department in assisting the State Department diplomats, he considered that the defense department personnel aren’t just the guarantors of US security, but often play the role of US diplomats themselves.
At the same time, a report by the Washington Times indicated that Biden could cede the upcoming May 1 exit deadline to pull out US troops from Afghanistan.
All US troops are supposed to be gone by May 2021, according to the February 2020 deal. But, Biden administration representatives are of the view that any deal should be based on the on-ground conditions rather than a date set on a calendar.
The US administration’s pledge of not using force in Afghanistan shows that US is currently following the liberalist school of thought and wants to bring peace in the war-torn Afghanistan, but at the same time, rethinking the deadline for US troop withdrawal illustrates that US wants to maintain status quo in the region. And US will never give up its national interest at the cost of peace in Afghanistan.
The author Laraib Nisar is a defense and Strategic Studies’ graduate, working as a research associate in Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) Islamabad.
© Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Afghan Studies Center (ASC), Islamabad.
