Graduation Year
2020
Document Type
Senior Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Arts
Primary Major
Humanities & Cultural Studies
Thesis Advisor
Carlos Rodriguez
Abstract
Since 2019, the Taliban and U.S currently engaged in peace talks, now is the time to reconsider the Tribal Engagement Strategy (TES) implemented by U.S Army Major Jim Gant in 2010-2012. The Impact and Importance of a U.S. Tribal Engagement Strategy in Afghanistan argues for the 2010-2012 successes of TES in Afghanistan and its potential future benefits for other regions.
Peace talks or troop reduction negotiations are not peace for the people of Afghanistan. Once the Taliban assumes control, establishing a new TES will lead to much needed security for the people of Afghanistan. After nineteen years of war, first hand and investigative reports favor the implementation of a TES against an ascending power like the Taliban. American political and military leaders must accept that most Afghans have a strong refusal to be ruled by any central government, including the Taliban. A U.S commitment to TES can develop lasting, meaningful, and strategic relationships with the local populations of Afghanistan.
Should the Taliban regain control as the governing force inside Afghanistan, as it did in 1996, an American TES might be the last chance to reduce the most radical aspects of this resilient adversary. By supporting those tribes who refuse the Taliban rule of Sharia law, America’s national security may once again depend on the TES and the ability of those U.S forces to fight alongside the tribes in Afghanistan.