Twelve more years in Afghanistan.

• Author: Rothschild, Matthew
• Position: Comment

When President Obama addressed the nation on May 1 from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, he said, The tide has turned" and promised to "end the war." He said he would keep bringing U.S. troops home "at a steady pace," and he said that by 2014 "the Afghans will be fully responsible for the security of their country."

But if that is so, why, then, are thousands of U.S. troops likely to still be in Afghanistan at least until 2024?

Because almost everything Obama said in his speech was false.

The tide hasn't turned. The Taliban still control vast swaths of Afghanistan, and shortly after Obama left, they set off bombs in Kabul itself, demonstrating that they are capable of carrying out daring attacks even in the most heavily guarded areas.

"We've built strong Afghan security forces," Obama asserted. But those forces seem incapable of defending the country by themselves. And some of them actually have the bad habit of firing on U.S. soldiers.

"Our goal is to destroy Al Qaeda, and we are on a path to do exactly that," he said. Actually, Al Qaeda has dispersed, and hasn't been active in Afghanistan in any numbers for years. But it is flourishing in Yemen and has footholds in many other countries.

"America has no designs beyond an end to Al Qaeda safe havens and respect for Afghan sovereignty," Obama said.

Well, let's look at the fine print on the "Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement" that Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, and Obama signed while he was over there.

Much of the document is a paean to private enterprise. The agreement says "the parties shall pursue consolidation and growth of a market economy." It talks about ways "to encourage trade and private sector development." It mentions that the United States will help Afghanistan in "building a strong financial system, which is needed to sustain private investment." (At this point, the United States is hardly in a position to give advice to anyone on building a strong financial system.)

It also makes clear that the United States wants to pry open Afghanistan to U.S. investors. "The United States intends to mobilize the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, U.S. Export-Import Bank, and U.S. Trade and Development Agency to encourage U.S. private sector activity in Afghanistan." And the agreement mentions Afghanistan's "natural resources" and "energy infrastructure," followed by the disclaimer that "the Afghan people should be the primary beneficiaries of Afghanistan's mineral...