Donald Trump delivered a long-awaited speech on his administration's policy on Afghanistan.  Although details were scant, the overall theme flies 180 degrees counter to the non-interventionist message he's espoused for most of the decade.  And the new diplomatic push seems likely to antagonize Pakistan, a nuclear power.

Instead of drawing down or pulling out, Trump now is rubber-stamping a Pentagon plan to have US troops continue to target and engage the Taliban and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan.  He said the US would no longer announce troop levels but it is generally accepted that the Pentagon will send another 4,000 troops to try and break the deadlock with the Taliban, which would represent a roughly 50 percent increase over current staffing levels.  Nor would the US discuss drawn-down dates.

Speaking before an audience of troops who looked as if they were ordered to be there at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia, Trump acknowledged his views have changed. 

"My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts," Trump said, "But all my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office."

Different, indeed.  Dating back to 2010, Trump has repeatedly called for ending US military involvement in Afghanistan, which began shortly after the 9/11 attacks because most of the plot to attack America was hatched there.  For instance, in 2013 he tweeted, "We have wasted an enormous amount of blood and treasure in Afghanistan.  Their government has zero appreciation.  Let's get out!"

The hawkish tone included all sorts of threats against extremists.  "These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide, that no place is beyond the reach of American might and American arms," Trump said.  "Retribution will be fast and powerful."

A major change came as Trump directly called out Pakistan to do more to root out and fight terrorists on its side of the border, and to do more to help with Afghanistan.  He's taking a more belligerent tone with Pakistan, publicly airing the concerns and desires that diplomats have previously spoken of behind closed doors.  The US has long wanted Pakistan to do something about the porous border that allows terrorists to hit Afghanistan and flee.  Pakistan's role in providing a safe haven for the the terrorist group called the Haqqani network has frequently been a thorn in the side of the US military.

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists we are fighting," Trump said. "But that will have to change, and that will change immediately."

It's hard to see why Pakistan would respond positively to being called out on the world stage and told what to do by Trump, especially when he announced that he's going to work more closely with Pakistan's rival India on South Asian security issues.  Both nations are economic and nuclear rivals.

"We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan but India makes billions of dollars in trade from the United States and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," Trump said.