Afghanistan Exit.
The former chief of MI6 has said in an interview for Sky news that he is concerned with the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan is worrying, as the threat of resurgent groups such as the Taliban and other militant groups can bring further instability to an already fragile country. He also suggested the vacuum may leave the door open for Russia to take advantage of the situation.
The artIcle continued with the suggestion that if these groups were left unchecked there could be a higher risk to the security of the UK.
War in Afghanistan
"Britain's latest war in Afghanistan began in the wake of the '9/11' terrorist attacks on the United States. It continued for 13 years with the last combat troops leaving the country on 26 October 2014."
"The war in Afghanistan cost the lives of 454 British servicemen and women, exceeding the death toll of the Falklands War in 1982. Total deaths of coalition forces (Britain, USA and allies) totalled 3,486. A further estimated 2,000 British military and civilian personnel were wounded in action."
"Financially the war in Afghanistan cost the UK at least £37 billion - roughly £2,000 per household." *
*Source: National Army Museum website.
As the last American troops are pulled out of Afghanistan did the coalition achieve everything it set out to achieve?
Our troops did the work they were ordered to do in the theatre of war and so many paid with the ultimate sacrifice.
Friedrich August Von Hayek wrote in his book The Constitution of Liberty, first published in 1960, that "foreign policy of today is largely a question of which political philosophy is to triumph over another; and our very survival may depend on our ability to rally a sufficiently strong part of the world behind a common ideal."
"If we are to gain followers of our beliefs we must certainly know what we believe in." True wise words.
Contained within the introduction his opinion and guidance is clear that many Middle Eastern countries may adopt certain aspects of Western civilization but these must never be forced upon the people through coercion. So, why does the West continually try to impose a political philosophy that they, the West, are unsure of themselves, onto a nation who have different cultural beliefs and traditions?
There must be a complete understanding of what Liberty and Freedom actually mean to each individual within each nation.
Therefore in conclusion we should not be fighting wars on foreign soil. Especially when we see in Afghanistan, our troops depart and after all the death and destruction the very same threats rise up again.
This is the endgame and in future a different approach is indeed needed.
If the UK is to be safe, then we should certainly be strengthening our home defence and intelligence forces to deter and extinguish any threats from abroad. Our Libertarian Party defence policy which includes our ideas, one of which is the establishment of a Yeomanry to protect the UK and it's citizens can be found on our website.
Glenville Gogerly EADW - Libertarian Party Chairman.
