The Dossier: Is this the right plan to win the long war in Afghanistan?

Trump reportedly considering new Afghanistan plan

President Trump has never been particularly happy with the Afghanistan war plan, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that he is reportedly entertaining various options on how to reduce U.S. troops’ footprint in the war-torn country.

According to NBC News, Trump has shown “renewed interest” in a plan drafted by Erik Prince, which calls for some private assets to replace American soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan. Prince, a former Navy SEAL and founder of the private military contracting giant Blackwater, has also acted as an unofficial adviser to Mr. Trump. Prince claims his plan, which calls for hiring private military contractors, would significantly reduce costs.

Many have taken to social media to criticize the plan. However, it’s also important to note that the U.S. is now 17 years into the Afghanistan war and the status quo is a complete stalemate, or worse, a slow decline. There is no end to the war in sight, and American soldiers continue to die on a regular basis, fighting to protect what’s left of a highly corrupt foreign government. Moreover, there isn’t much evidence that any of the jihadi groups currently operating in Afghanistan pose much of a threat to the American homeland. There is seemingly no grand strategy to win the war or exit the country in a timely manner.

It’s easy to slam Prince’s plan as radical, unproductive, or morally inappropriate. But at least he has presented a plan to move on from the never-ending, resource-draining, American soldier-killing war in Afghanistan.

South Africa begins seizing white-owned farms

In a deeply troubling development, the South African government has approved the first seizures of white-owned farmland.

Representatives from the ruling African National Congress (ANC) reportedly offered white farmers only ten percent of their land’s value prior to the unilateral seizure. The ANC has endorsed and fanned the flames of a climate of extreme hostility against the nation’s white Afrikaner minority.

Drive-by shooting targeting U.S. embassy in Turkey

At around 5 a.m. local time Monday, a drive-by shooting targeted the U.S. embassy in Ankara, Turkey. The suspects fired several shots before taking off. No one was hurt in the incident.

Tensions continue to increase between the United States and Turkey. The Trump administration and the Erdogan regime are sparring over the imprisonment of U.S. Pastor Andrew Brunson. The United States government claims he is unfairly detained, while Ankara has claimed, without evidence, that he is a spy. It is believed that Turkey is using the pastor as a negotiating chip in seeking the extradition of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Manafort jury continues deliberations

Now into its third day of deliberations, a jury is currently deciding whether to convict former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort on charges related to tax evasion and bank fraud.

Although the legacy media is covering the case as if it’s the trial of the century, the charges against Manafort have nothing to do with his time on the Trump campaign or matters related supposed Russian collusion.

Author's note: This post originally appeared in CRTV's The Dossier newsletter. For foreign policy news and views delivered to your inbox twice a week, subscribe here or use the form below!

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