1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Evaluating Possible U.S. Troop Withdrawals from Hostile Areas Kathleen J. McInnis Specialist in International Security February 1, 2019 On December 19, 2018, President Trump announced his intention to withdraw U.S. forces
2、from Syria within 30 days, although Administration officials subsequently suggested that the process could take several months. Subsequent press articles indicated that the White House is also considering withdrawing “up to half” of U.S. forces in Afghanistan in the coming months, although at the ti
3、me of writing the Trump Administration has stated it has not yet ordered any such withdrawal. More recently, the United States has been negotiating with Afghan Taliban representatives regarding the conditions upon which, if met, American forces might withdraw from Afghanistan. Opinions vary as wheth
4、er these negotiations might lead to a successful settlement. Regardless, the suggestion that the United States might curtail its military operational commitment to those theaters raises a number of issues which may be of interest to Congress. In particular, from a strategic perspective, when is a wi