Follow us on social

Afghan-intepreters

'Operation: Allied Refuge' better be a speedy express

President Biden announced plans today to start evacuating at-risk Afghan interpreters and families. No criticism here.

Analysis | Asia-Pacific

Today, the Biden administration announced “Operation Allied Refuge” to begin evacuating vulnerable former Afghan interpreters and their families from Afghanistan.

For twenty years U.S. policy there undermined achievable goals by pursing lofty ideals through unaccountable spending and permanent troop deployments. Going forward, American policymakers must accept the limited ability of Washington to shape conditions on the ground and prioritize actions that are achievable. Evacuating at-risk translators and their families is something entirely in the control of President Biden and should be done with speed and dispatch. This is an opportunity for the United States to lead and other NATO partners should follow suit.

The United States has evacuated partners in past conflicts ranging from Vietnam to Kosovo. This mission is achievable, consistent with American values,  supported by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and veterans groups, and won’t place Americans at risk. In other words, it is an example of the kind of objective that Secretary Blinken pledged to the American people to carry out. There is also growing support for offering refugee status to a limited number of individuals from Afghan civil society who supported the U.S. mission through their work and face credible death threats. Such measures should not be cynically misconstrued as dooming the fledgling peace process to failure, lack of confidence in the resolve of the Afghan security forces, passive acceptance of a Taliban takeover, or a misguided inclination to save the world. Rather, it is a recognition that specific individuals who assisted the United States are at grave risk and we are in a position to help. 

The appointment of Ambassador Tracey Jacobson to lead the State Department’s effort to evacuate former Afghan interpreters will offer a much needed point person as former interpreters who are vulnerable to reprisals by the Taliban find themselves in the eleventh hour of the U.S. troop withdrawal. The priority now should be to evacuate all applicants for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program and not leave behind anyone simply because they are stuck in an earlier phase of a burdensome bureaucratic process. A preference should be given to relocating individuals to U.S. territory.

The Biden administration has received criticism from opponents of the withdrawal for primarily focusing on securing the U.S. Embassy, continued security for Kabul’s airport, and evacuating former interpreters. This despite the fact the United States continues to fund the Afghan security forces. But maintaining a diplomatic presence, ensuring Kabul remains connected to the world, providing the Afghan security forces with the means to fight, and protecting Afghans who directly supported the U.S. military mission are the most tangible ways that the Biden administration can continue to support Afghanistan.


US Military and Civilian personnel assigned with the Civil Military Operations (CMO) TEAM, made up of personnel representing Psychological Operations (PSYOP), Military Interrogations Team (MIT), Civil Affairs (CA), Medics, Interpreters, Embedded Media and Combat Camera (COMCAM), pose for a group photograph with the American Flag, at the CMO Alamo at Objective Colt, in Afghanistan, during Operation Mountain Sweep, conducted during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. (2006)(US Army Photo/SPC MARSHALL EMERSON)
Analysis | Asia-Pacific
Trump and Putin on phone
Top photo credit: Donald Trump (White House photo) and Vladimir Putin (Office of the Russian Federation President)
US-Russia talks: The rubber finally hits the road

Good, bad and ugly: Impact of US Iran strikes on Russia war talks

Europe

To a considerable degree, President Donald Trump won the presidency in 2024 because voters embraced his message of keeping America out of protracted conflicts and his promise to end the war in Ukraine.

The administration has made substantial operational headway, particularly in reopening stable channels for dialogue with Russia, but it has proven difficult to arrive at a framework for a negotiated settlement that enjoys buy-in from all the stakeholders — Ukraine, Russia, and Europe.

keep readingShow less
Trump Netanyahu in Washington
Top photo credit: Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu (Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com)

Netanyahu returns to DC — in triumph or with more to ask?

Middle East

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will arrive in Washington for his third visit of Trump’s second term. Today also marks 21 months of Israel’s war on Gaza. The purpose of the visit remains unclear, and speculation abounds: will Trump and Netanyahu announce a real ceasefire in Gaza? Will Syria join the Abraham Accords? Or might Trump greenlight even broader Israeli action against Iran?

Before Netanyahu’s visit, Trump posted an ultimatum on Truth Social, claiming Israel had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire. He urged Hamas to accept the terms, threatening that “it will only get worse” if it doesn’t. Although Trump intended to pressure Hamas, reiterating a longstanding narrative that portrays the group as the obstacle to peace, Hamas has long maintained that it will only accept a ceasefire if it is part of a process that leads to a permanent end to Israel’s war and its complete withdrawal from the enclave. Netanyahu, for his part, remains adamant that the war must continue until Hamas is eliminated, a goal that even the IDF has described as not militarily viable.

keep readingShow less
POGO The Bunker
Top image credit: Project on Government Oversight

Yes to 'Department of War' name change

Military Industrial Complex

The Bunker appears originally at the Project on Government Oversight and is republished here with permission.

keep readingShow less

LATEST

QIOSK

Newsletter

Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters, as well as staff analysis, opinion, and news promoting a positive, non-partisan vision of U.S. foreign policy.