• Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Europe logoCarnegie lettermark logo
EUDemocracy
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [],
  "type": "pressRelease",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "SAP",
  "programs": [
    "South Asia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States",
    "Middle East",
    "Iran",
    "Iraq",
    "Syria",
    "South Asia",
    "Afghanistan",
    "Pakistan"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Security",
    "Military",
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}
REQUIRED IMAGE

REQUIRED IMAGE

Press Release

Senator McCain on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Syria

Senator John McCain, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made an impassioned plea for President Obama to reconsider the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

Link Copied
Published on Apr 18, 2012

WASHINGTON—Senator John McCain, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made an impassioned plea for President Obama to reconsider the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. Speaking this afternoon at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, he said that it was essential for the United States to make a strategic partnership with the Afghan government, which included a long-term U.S. military presence on the ground to prevent the Taliban from returning to power. 

Senator McCain also strongly criticized the White House for a lack of leadership on Syria. He said it was a “stain on our national honor” that we had not intervened to support the opposition forces in Syria. He called for the arming of the Syrian rebels and the creation of a safe area inside Syria.

He sharply attacked the Pakistani intelligence services for its links with known terrorists, calling it reprehensible that the ISI continued to maintain a close relationship with the Haqqani network, which is responsible for the deaths of American soldiers.

Asked about the recent photographs showing American soldiers posing with the bodies of Afghan fighters, he said it was “deplorable and despicable…but that 99.9% of American soldiers in Afghanistan were operating to the highest standards.” 

SecurityMilitaryForeign PolicyNorth AmericaUnited StatesMiddle EastIranIraqSyriaSouth AsiaAfghanistanPakistan

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Letter from the Editor: Europe Takes Two Steps Forward But One Step Back

    As we close out another season of Strategic Europe, it is worth taking stock of the deep shifts underway.

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz

  • Paper
    Assessing Information Ecosystems: How Governments Can Get Ahead of Hybrid Threats

    The hybrid warfare landscape is evolving rapidly, leaving policymakers without clear strategies. To better inform their work in addressing emerging challenges, governments must dig deeper into the underlying dynamics at play.

      Raluca Csernatoni, Alicia Wanless

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Are the EU’s Watered-Down Russia Sanctions Better than None?

    The EU had to compromise to adopt a twenty-first sanctions package against Russia, exposing growing cracks in the union’s resolve. Is this latest, weaker round worth it to keep pressure on Moscow?

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz, ed.

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Why Europe Must Take Charge of its Russia Diplomacy Now

    Trump is distracted and Ukraine wants Europe to step up. The continent’s leaders must find their voice and assert it in talks with Russia.

      Alissa de Carbonnel

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Why Russia Could Escalate Hybrid Warfare Against Europe

    Mounting economic strain and battlefield losses will not necessarily make the Kremlin less dangerous. They could instead push Moscow toward a more aggressive hybrid campaign designed to test NATO’s Eastern flank, exploit allied hesitation, and fracture European resolve.

      Maksym Beznosiuk

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
Carnegie Europe logo, white
Rue du Congrès, 151000 Brussels, Belgium
  • Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Gender Equality Plan
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.