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What is the future of NATO?
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NATO will continue its role stabilising Afghanistan

The Government of Afghanistan remains under siege from Taliban insurgents and will continue to be reliant on NATO to train, advise, and assist the Afghan National Army.
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The Argument

Since 2002 NATO has played a key role in stabilising Afghanistan and fighting the Taliban. Until 2014 this role involved direct combat aimed at stabilising the Government of Afghanistan and has subsequently morphed into an indirect role training the Afghan security forces. While a peace agreement has been brokered between the Afghan Government and the Taliban, continued violence makes role of NATO within the country more critical than ever. NATO forces will not be able to fully withdraw from Afghanistan until the peace agreement is fully implemented, which at this moment in time is increasingly unlikely as Taliban forces continue to attack the Government in Kabul.

Counter arguments

NATO's future role in Afghanistan is uncertain and unlikely to continue since the USA and the UK have both announced their intention to withdraw the bulk of troops by the end of 2020. President Trump has made it clear that the US withdrawal is not dependent on the successful implementation of the peace agreement between the Afghan Government and the Taliban. This means that the UK/USA withdrawal, which accounts for the bulk of NATO troops still in the country, is likely to go ahead irrespective of the continued levels of violence.

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

This page was last edited on Thursday, 16 Apr 2020 at 18:43 UTC

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