William Ruger: The Man Who Made Trump's Afghanistan Policy Real

Rare exception

Since entering the White House, his selection of personnel for important positions has beenDonald Trumpis considered very difficult to predict. But regardless of position, the person entering the "Presidential circle" if not a politician then has a successful business background like Donald Trump himself, but few people think that he is a policy researcher like William Ruger. In particular, if that person comes from the Charles Koch Institute, the possibility of "catching the eye" of Donald Trump is even lower, because the Charles Koch Institute - an institute that counters the advisory councils in Washington DC is said to have many disagreements with President Donald Trump.

William Ruger is a rare researcher in the “Trump presidential circle”. Photo: National Interest

But William Ruger is an exception. In addition to being vice president for research and foreign policy at the Charles Koch Institute, he is also a foreign policy fellow at the Cato Institute, an independent, nonpartisan think tank devoted to freedom and peace.

Previously, Mr. William Ruger was an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Texas. With no political experience, the only connection that one can make between William Ruger's personality and the position of US Ambassador to Vietnam isAfghanistanjust a short year of combat in this country 10 years ago. For those close to the White House personnel work, William Ruger's biggest "plus" to become President Donald Trump's choice is his surprisingly similar views on Afghanistan to the President's.

“The United States has accomplished its mission in Afghanistan. The United States has done what it had to do, and now it is time for the United States to withdraw.”

William Ruger

As an “anti-interventionist,” William Ruger has repeatedly said that President Donald Trump’s approach to Afghanistan is “absolutely correct” — a rare endorsement in the White House amid mixed reviews of Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan. William Ruger has repeatedly said in media interviews and political debates that “America has accomplished its mission in Afghanistan. America has done what it needed to do, and now it’s time for America to withdraw. After America has spent trillions of dollars and sacrificed more than 2,200 lives in this South Asian country, it’s time for the Afghans to take responsibility for Afghanistan’s future.”

William Ruger has always aimed to end the US war in Afghanistan. Photo: Wall Street Journal

In William Ruger’s view, the United States should not be distracted by the ups and downs of the conflicts or the political struggles in Afghanistan, but instead, the United States must focus on its long-term national interest. That national interest is not to continue a useless war, but to get out of it. America’s real and only interest in Afghanistan is to ensure that the country does not become a launching pad for attacks on the United States.

William Ruger's argument reminds many people of the strategy that Donald Trump has put forth since his election campaign, which is "bringing American soldiers home."

However, a large military force is not the way to achieve this assurance. Now is the time for the US to use its superior intelligence capabilities to identify threats and effectively prevent any attacks - from Afghanistan as well as from other dangerous areas. William Ruger's argument reminds many people of the strategy that Donald Trump has proposed since his election campaign, which is "bringing American soldiers home", "getting America out of endless senseless wars".

Speeding up the end in Afghanistan

William Ruger has been under scrutiny for his suitability to serve as US ambassador to Afghanistan for the past three months, according to sources close to the White House. He has also been interviewed multiple times by officials in the Office of Presidential Personnel, and has undergone background checks and ethics reviews from both the White House and the State Department.

However, to officially go to Afghanistan, William Ruger must receive Senate approval - expected this month. If approved, William Ruger will be very different from the hawks that Donald Trump has appointed to important foreign and security positions such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Advisor John Bolton or current National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien.

Mr. William Ruger has a similar view to President Trump on bringing troops home. Photo: Daily Express

Throughout his years as a researcher, William Ruger has urged policymakers to end America's longest war in Afghanistan.

During his years as a researcher, William Ruger has been urging policymakers to end America’s longest war in Afghanistan. If confirmed by the Senate, he will have the opportunity to directly participate in this process. In a recent interview with the media, William Ruger affirmed that the Afghan government’s reaching a peace agreement with the Taliban is a good sign.

However, the peace deal is not a prerequisite for the US’s next steps. William Ruger pointed out that the preliminary peace agreements in February required the Taliban to refrain from violent attacks if the US agreed to withdraw its troops. But in fact, anti-government violence in Afghanistan has been escalating for months, making it difficult for theUS Special Envoy to AfghanistanKhalilzad struggled to salvage the deal.

Meanwhile, the US administration seems to be quite vague about the timing of the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. While Donald Trump wants to withdraw troops before the November 3 election, the Pentagon supports a much slower withdrawal schedule. Therefore, many people believe that after holding the position of US Ambassador to Afghanistan, Mr. William Ruger will speed up the process of withdrawing US troops home, realizing President Donald Trump's Afghanistan policy.

Not only will he speed up the withdrawal process, William Ruger will likely push for all US troops to come home instead of leaving a certain number as proposed by the cautious school in the White House. According to William Ruger, leaving US troops in Afghanistan - even in small numbers - will be a "temptation" for future policymakers, causing them to repeat the mistakes of the past by adding more troops and expanding the mission of US forces in Afghanistan.

According to analysts, President Donald Trump’s selection of William Ruger as Ambassador to Afghanistan marks an important turning point in the nearly 20-year-long “costly” war of the United States. This is even more significant as President Donald Trump’s re-election strategy is “sprinting” to fulfill previous commitments on foreign affairs, including “bringing American soldiers home” and “bringing America out of endless senseless wars.”