Trump should have followed instincts, brought the troops home

The strategy of maintaining a war going badly and inherited didn't work for Nixon and almost certainly won't work for Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he was going against his instincts by ramping up the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan. Thomas Walkom says, in this particular case, Trump should have followed his instincts.Photograph by Gage Skidmore

Opinion

BY THOMAS WALKOM

August 28, 2017

TORONTO—As he committed America and its allies to years more of war in Afghanistan, Donald Trump made a stark confession last week. "My original instinct was to pull out," the U.S. president said in a televised speech. "And I historically like following my instincts." This time, however, he didn...

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