Ex-US Diplomat Reflects on 20-Year Afghanistan Presence & Iraq Regret
Nicholas Burns, the former US ambassador to NATO, said that the United States did not expect its military presence in Afghanistan to last for 20 years, arguing that the length of the mission gradually led to a loss of clarity regarding its primary objective.
Burns stressed in an interview with CNN that the most important lesson Washington learned from the September 11, 2001 attacks was its need for friends and allies around the world.
Allied solidarity after the September attacks
Burns noted that he had only been in his post as ambassador to NATO for 12 days when the attacks occurred, explaining that he was unable to contact the White House, the State Department, or the U.S. Department of Defense at the time.
He said that the ambassadors of Canada, Denmark, Norway and Iceland contacted him and declared their solidarity with the United States, confirming their readiness to stand by its side and go with it to Afghanistan if the need arises.
He also noted the activation of Article 5 of the NATO Charter, which considers an attack on one member state as an attack on all member states of the alliance, explaining that all members had agreed to the decision by the following day.
20 years changed the mission’s objective
Burns said that at the beginning of the war in Afghanistan, no one in the US administration imagined that the mission would last two decades, adding that Washington “stayed too long” and gradually lost sight of the mission’s clear objective.
He pointed out that a number of US allies also undertook dangerous missions in Afghanistan and suffered casualties, stressing the need for Washington to respect its allies, listen to their views and cooperate with them.
Regret over the invasion of Iraq
In another context, Burns expressed his regret for supporting the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, saying that entering Iraq was a wrong decision, and that the continued American presence there for 11 years and the large number of deaths was also a mistake.
He considered determining the appropriate timing for military intervention to be one of the most difficult issues facing decision-makers, citing Madeleine Albright’s stance on the US not intervening in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide.
Burns stressed that the United States’ military and political power does not mean it can act alone, emphasizing that Washington needs to cooperate with its allies to implement its foreign policy around the world.