Andrew Bacevich: US Troops Leaving Middle East Doesn't Mean End Of Conflict

Syria Foreign Actors — In this Jan. 25, 2020, file photo, Gen. Frank McKenzie, center front, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East, walks as he visits a military outpost in Syria. Gen. McKenzie confirmed on Wednesday about the plans for partial troop drawdowns in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hannah Uebele is a producer for Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and previously worked as associate producer for Boston Public Radio. She graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in English and Environmental Studies. She's a proud Delawarean but has found herself saying "wicked" more and more often, so the Bostonian metamorphosis is well underway.Contact: hannah_uebele@wgbh.org

September 10, 2020

Updated August 07, 2023

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the U.S. will cut its troop presence in Iraq and Afghanistan by half, American historian Andrew Bacevich told Boston Public Radio on Thursday.

"Trump is trying to persuade us that incremental reductions in the number of forces present in Iraq and Afghanistan equals ending the war," Bacevich said. "They're merely incremental, our involvement still continues."