“The Afghan withdrawal is one of the sorriest American failures in decades. Its consequences will play out for years, if not decades, as friends and foes recalibrate their views of U. S. political will in general, and Mr. Biden’s in particular.”–Wall Street Journal Editorial Board
I couldn’t agree more with this assessment, and the worst part of it is the President’s deference to the Taliban on how and when U. S. citizens and Afghan allies, all of them, can be guaranteed safe passage after the arbitrary date for exit by the U. S. military on August 31, which, as I write, is still in place. If we do not enforce this guarantee by whatever means necessary, this will top the list of dishonorable acts of an American President in our history.
There is no way to accurately predict where this disaster is headed. But anyone who thinks we will anytime soon return to pre-withdrawal conditions in the region and around the world is either a fool or is completely out of touch with reality. This policy disaster changes the geopolitical game, significantly alters the facts on the ground in the Middle East, emboldens our enemies, and forces allies and foes alike to reconsider every aspect of their relationship with America, its leadership, reliability, and political will. As a result, it is likely that the world will become a more dangerous place, with U. S. leadership and interests challenged everywhere. And as for our thousands of fellow Americans stranded and many more Afghan allies left behind, look for the moral equivalent of the plight of the abandoned Vietnamese “boat people” of the mid 1970s. So spare me the “mission accomplished” victory speech, Mr. Biden. It would be just another lie.
And at the end of the day, as Paul Wolfowitz reminds us in a recent assessment, the “forever war” hasn’t ended, because the enemy always gets a vote on that, as we shall most surely soon see.
All great empires rot and decay from within when leaders worship at the altar of greed, power and self.
Sadly we are witnessing the implosion of American exceptionalism as our ruling class through a feckless POTUS have not only surrendered but have already sold us out to the Chinese Communist Party.
Wonder what will happen this 9/11? Communists are positioning any excuse to institute federal Marshall law through psychic conditioning of the past 20 months of taking control.
A good job of addressing a shameful moment in the history of our country. The greater concern at this point is a country with a citizenry that voted Joe Biden into office. That is the challenge going forward and it is an almost insurmountable one if 2022 doesn’t make a resounding statement of rejection of all things Biden and his fellow travellers.
I agree with Steve and of course with Jim. It is inescapable that Democratic Party rule INTENDS the ruin of America, principally by eradicating, at whatever speed, the Middle Class.
Those who live by the rules are always defeated by those who ignore the rules. The Democratic Party has consistently been the part of evil. Do you think there was ever a Republican in the KKK? Which Party defended slavery? Which Party has imposed progressive socialism over the past century? FDR liked Stalin more than Churchill and gave Stalin Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, along with license to destroy Berlin and form East Germany !
And the Democrats now have victory in their sights. Led by a senile corrupt man whose moral judgment has always been rotten.
Biden botched the withdrawal without question. The intelligence failure was colossal. And thousands will be persecuted and die as a result.
But, the US lost interest in Afghanistan long ago. Trump negotiated with the Taliban while Pompeo must have known that the Taliban was not in any way trustworthy. Trying to spin this in a partisan fashion ignores the reality of the situation at the beginning of this year when a paltry force of US troops did nothing while the Taliban cut deals with warlords in nearly every province of the country.
Yes, between the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations the consistent message to our allies is “don’t count on the US when push comes to shove.” Ask the Kurds in Syria and Iraq about US support. How about Obama being cool (not in the good way!) towards the UK? Trump crapped on NATO with no positive intent.
I fear that both parties are drifting towards a foolish isolationism that has never benefitted our country or world peace.
A delayed response to your post Bob, but I generally agree with your analysis and, unfortunately even more so with your bottom line conclusion and fear. The world is a more dangerous place everywhere without a committed US presence, and it doesn’t necessary require a military presence, but does require a consistently reliable one.