The Camp David Deal – a secretive deal completely separate from the 1978 Camp David Accords – was created to take American troops out of Afghanistan. It would also give the Taliban land.

This was the United States’ intention up until a Taliban car bomb killed an American soldier, which further encouraged President Donald Trump to back out of the peace deal. The Camp David deal was in the final stages; in fact, the only part of the deal left was Trump’s signature on it.

His decision to resort to speaking with a terrorist organization was one that would not have benefited anyone, would have shown Trump’s desperation and would have given the Taliban a significant increase in power. In essence, Trump leaving the deal while he still could was a good move strategically for our country’s foreign policy.

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Unbeknownst to almost everyone, the major Taliban leaders and, separately, the President of Afghanistan, were going to secretly meet with me at Camp David

— Donald Trump

The president and his administration have been in talks with the Taliban for over a year to end the 18-year period involving the United States in the Afghanistan War. Despite the entire conflict taking place in Afghanistan, the Afghan government was not invited to these peace talks.

To start off, the Trump administration rushing into this deal in the first place proves that the U.S. was vulnerable in this conflict. If this deal had been signed, it would have prevented the Taliban from shooting U.S. soldiers as they leave the country, but would not have done much else as far as regaining peace.

It did not call for a ceasefire, or a period of time where the warring stops. It also did not require the Taliban to stop killing soldiers lead by the Afghan government. Although it did not have all of the terms that the U.S. wanted, the Trump Administration was desperate to come to some sort of a close with this crisis. If it had been signed, the United States’ military power would be weakened, as they were essentially admitting defeat.

“It basically would not have done anything other than give us time to retreat,” freshman Patrick Heydasch said.

In addition, putting this deal into action would have also made the Taliban look much stronger. Simply the fact that they solely defeated the United States in an 18-year long war gives them power. The United States would have also recognized the Taliban as the ruling government of Afghanistan if the deal was passed, which would have legitimized this terrorist organization. In turn, this would have had devastating effects on other places currently overrun by the terrorist organization, as their improved strength would mean that they have a larger grip over the other regions as well.

“It would have basically been a moral boost to all of the other terrorists to see them win,” freshman Brian Matute said.

Further, if this deal was passed, it could have been an inspiration to other terrorist organizations, showing them that a terrorist group could be victorious over even the largest nations. This can be compared to how the American Revolution in the 1770s inspired other revolts including ones in Haiti and France. The deal with the Taliban would have arguably had the same consequences.

People on both sides of the political aisle say that the desperation of drafting this agreement and going along with the subpar terms is necessary because our troops in Afghanistan are in danger by staying there and they need to be pulled out as soon as possible. 

However, it is quite necessary to keep these troops within Afghanistan in order to keep our allies from losing the government control of their nation. If Afghanistan does not get sufficient help from the U.S. through any type of peace treaty, they will be utterly conquered by the Taliban. America needs to step up for their allies, not only for their safety, but also for their weak reputation that is generally centered around money. By remaining a loyal ally and keeping its troops in Afghanistan, the U.S. is losing the bad notoriety, gaining more political power. 

In short, it was good that Donald Trump tried to leave Afghanistan, but the way that the Camp David peace deals were handled was terrible. Deciding to leave these deals while the nation still could was wise, as the deals were horribly mismanaged, they did not have the terms the United States hoped and they only handed the Taliban power.

Although Trump left the deal, the U.S.’s involvement in striving for peace is not finished. This international crisis must still be handled. Even though a potential solution is not yet present, the Afghani government must be involved as it impacts them greatly, and the American troops must be brought home, one way or another.