To the Editor:
On Saturday, President Trump abruptly canceled secret peace talks scheduled at Camp David with Afghan leaders and Taliban insurgents. Assuming these talks were even a “real” thing and not simply another presidential fabrication, Trump acted swiftly, trying to show strength. But, what is the president’s strategy? Or is this simply one more example of how truly transactional this President is? Trump said he was canceling the talks after an act of terrorism by the Taliban that killed one American soldier and 11 others. I wonder if he even gets the supreme irony of him using the death of a “brown” man from a country, Puerto Rico, which until recently Trump did not even recognize as being part of America, nor its people as being legitimate citizens of the U.S.
Perhaps President Trump’s retaliatory action will serve a purpose and set the stage for future peace talks that will help to extricate the US from an 18-year military entanglement in Afghanistan. But it’s hard to have any faith and confidence in this incredibly mercurial and impulsive man. The President is a man who seemingly views history as what happened yesterday and the future as what might happen tomorrow. Most people would agree that this is not a sound and prudent way to run one’s life, and most assuredly not an effective way to run a country.
Ken Derow
Swarthmore
