Afghanistan: Another Shame on America

It looks like the United States – under President Biden – is showing leadership in Afghanistan.  He is leading the white-flag retreat along with our various allies in the longest unofficial war in American history. He is continuing America’s unbroken string of losing wars since World War II.

Biden can shed some of the blame for what will happen next by noting that President Trump was almost as anxious to bring the troops home in essentially a unilateral surrender to the Taliban.

Perhaps you think my calling our withdrawal a “unilateral surrender to the Taliban” is a bit hyperbolic.  Really? 

Virtually every military leader and international observer is predicting a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.  Already hundreds of units once controlled by the Government in Kabul have surrendered their territory and weapons to the Taliban – and most without a single shot being fired.

Though not adequately reported in American media, the attacks on women and even the beheading of Taliban opponents is on the uptick.  Under our protection, women were granted rights – as simple as being allowed to attend schools.  However, the Taliban is brutally taking away those rights.

Much like ISIS that established a califate over much of Iraq and the Middle East, the Taliban rules by terror. 

There is no justice for those the Taliban considers infidels.  One need only reflect on the terror they imposed on the people of Afghanistan when they governed over the country.

Such left-wing analysts as the Washington Post’s David Ignatius and Richard Haass, of the Council on Foreign Relations, are talking about a very tragic summer in Afghanistan.  MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough predicts the slaughter of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people.  He compares it to the 500,000 who died when President Obama walked away from those fighting the regime of Bashar al Asaad in Syria – and those who suffered under the rule of ISIS in Iraq, until the Trump administration made their defeat a high priority.  But that victory was a battle, not the end of the war on Islamic terrorism in the Middle East.

As was the case in Vietnam and Syria, the United States left behind thousands of local allies, who were – and in Syria, are – being brutally slaughtered in what can only be described as campaigns of genocide.

When the Taliban takes over, Afghanistan will join Iran as a nation controlled by Islamic terrorists.  They will launch terrorism against their neighbors – and throughout the world.

Keep in mind that Biden’s accelerated withdrawal from Afghanistan was against the advice of his top military advisors.  While the President is Commander-in-Chief of the military, he is still a civilian with limited to no military experience.  Good Presidents take the advice of their generals and not pretend to be one.

Although they followed suit, it has been widely reported that our allies were shocked by Biden’s decision to pull out.  Since America was, as usual, the major force – personnel and funding – our allies had no choice but to follow our leadership(?).

Appearing on “Morning Joe,” Washington Post D.C. Bureau Chief Elisabeth Bumiller put it succinctly.  “What was the  point?”  She cited all those who fought, were wounded and died (including my grandson).  For what?

We can argue the wisdom of entering the conflict in Afghanistan under the administration of President Bush – or the surge under President Obama, that prolonged the conflict.  But it is not easily explained why the nation with unquestionably the most powerful military in the world could not defeat a militia without tanks … without an air force … and without sophisticated missiles.  We lost a war to aggressors who basically fought with machine guns on the back of  pick-up trucks –and engaged in targeted terrorist bombings.

Retreating in defeat was not the only option.  We could have united the world in escalating the war against the Taliban.  We could have made victory a doable objective.  I know the idea of escalating conflict is not popular these days.  But is humiliating defeat … again … the best option?

America is now a nation that no one truly admires – and no one fears.  We have surrendered world leadership to become a paper tiger nation.  We are cowed by our major rivals – China and Russia – humiliated by third-world counties. So, there ‘tis.