Why MNI
MNI is the leading provider
of intelligence and analysis on the Global Fixed Income, Foreign Exchange and Energy markets. We use an innovative combination of real-time analysis, deep fundamental research and journalism to provide unique and actionable insights for traders and investors. Our "All signal, no noise" approach drives an intelligence service that is succinct and timely, which is highly regarded by our time constrained client base.Our Head Office is in London with offices in Chicago, Washington and Beijing, as well as an on the ground presence in other major financial centres across the world.
US President Joe Biden has had to defend his actions in pulling 90% of US troops out of Afghanistan, as the Taliban makes significant territorial gains and threatens to overrun the entire nation. In a White House speech delivered on 8 July, Biden stated that "I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome,". Biden's speech came on the same day that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that the majority of the small British force that remained in Afghanistan post-2014 has returned home.
Chart 1. Map of Territorial Control of Afghanistan by District
Source: longwarjournal.org, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, AFP. As of 9 July 2021
- The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan - first planned for May in a deal reached between the Taliban and the Trump administration - is now due to be completed by 11 September.
- There is the rising prospect that with Western forces withdrawing, nations such as Iran (as an immediate neighbour) and Russia (which is taking a greater interest in Middle Eastern and Central Asian affairs) will step in to fill the power and security vacuum.
- The wider impact of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan on the regional, and indeed global security environment could prove pronounced.
- In the US, the withdrawal has added another political wedge issue to the mix, with Democrats in favour of a swift removal of US troops, while Republican voters are more inclined to support US troops remaining in the country.
- The Afghan gov't has pleaded for as much support as possible in the face of fanatical and effective fighting from Taliban forces, and the US has pledged significant financial support. However, the example of Afghanistan - subject to 20 years of fighting between coalition forces and the Taliban, with the latter still an effective fighting force today despite going up against the military might of the West - could provide succor to nations such as Russia, Iran, and China in questioning US military commitment to foreign operations in the future.
Why MNI
MNI is the leading provider
of intelligence and analysis on the Global Fixed Income, Foreign Exchange and Energy markets. We use an innovative combination of real-time analysis, deep fundamental research and journalism to provide unique and actionable insights for traders and investors. Our "All signal, no noise" approach drives an intelligence service that is succinct and timely, which is highly regarded by our time constrained client base.Our Head Office is in London with offices in Chicago, Washington and Beijing, as well as an on the ground presence in other major financial centres across the world.