China moving into Afghanistan
One of my several predictions, when President Biden surrendered in Afghanistan, was that China would be making overtures to the Taliban government. The two cultures are not natural allies. You will recall that when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan 20-plus years ago, they went on a rampage – destroying Buddhist symbols. That included the largest stone-carved depiction of Buddha in the world – which they turned to rubble with military armaments.
While the cameras and eyes of the world are on Ukraine, China has been reaching out to the Taliban. There is an overriding pragmatic consideration. Put simply, the Taliban needs money desperately and China would like access to Afghanistan’s rich resources – rare earth and lithium, to name two. And both nations see America – and the western democracies – as adversaries.
My prediction was recently vindicated by a report from the Vandenberg Coalition – a group of national security advisors, military specialists and academicians.
In looking at Afghanistan, the policy experts have seen what happened there as having a connection to Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. Vindicating another of my predictions – that Biden’s leading the western nations unceremoniously out of Afghanistan would encourage Putin. He appears to have calculated that America – under Biden – and NATO were too weak and too splintered to rally around Ukraine. He may have been wrong, but the withdrawal from Afghanistan gave Putin a wrong impression – and led to the invasion.
Putin believed that the west would watch his invasion from the grandstands – as they essentially did with Georgia, Chechnya and the Crimea. To a degree, he miscalculated – but not entirely. Certainly, the new-found unity of Europe … the willingness to impose strong sanctions and provide military hardware … and the resolve and ability of the Ukraine military and populations … all came as surprises to Putin. But the United States and NATO have yet to stand up to Putin in a way that will deny him some level of victory – they have practically conceded as much in the short run.
Consequently, China can deploy its global strategies without much attention from the rest of the world. The only interest Biden & Co. seems to have in China at this moment is how Xi will deal with the Russian invasion.
Afghanistan is a troubled nation. The Taliban government can control the country with guns, but they have not been able to jump-start the economy. Millions of Afghans are going hungry – many starving. There is an ongoing guerilla war between the Taliban terrorists and the IS-K terrorists. Both groups have gained from the vacuum left by Biden’s surrender – a fact confirmed by a United Nations report on Afghan domestic terrorism.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has every reason to help the Taliban to tighten its grip on Afghanistan. It is part of a regional strategy that also involves Pakistan and other central Asian nations. China and the United States do have a common interest in mitigating the growth of radical Muslim terrorism. But, accessing natural resources is much more difficult in an unstable or violent environment. Therefore China has a keen interest in stabilizing the Taliban rule.
The Coalition recommended that the Biden Administration continue to not recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government. In fact, the Chinese government has yet to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government – but that could change.
The Coalition sees the most important diplomatic strategy with Afghanistan is to undertake a number of human rights initiatives with a longer-term goal of restoring stability and civil rights – especially for women. Don’t hold your breath on that one.
There does not seem to be an easy or obvious way to put the Afghanistan Humpty-Dumpty back together again after Biden’s incredibly incompetent blunder. I wish I could be more optimistic, but I only see the Afghanistan surrender as a problem that will continue to unfold to the detriment of the United States – and much of the free world.
So, there ‘tis.
everything biden has done anywhere in the world has disaterous results !biden is a national disgrace!! impeach that pos while this country still in one piece!
We would be stuck with Kumala the ho. And we are about to have another token on the Supreme Court
John the racist, can you help us all understand the nuances of your racism. For example, how many tokens must you have a one place not to be a considered token anymore?
I mean token is such an awful word and it really means that we are not at the correct number of black women if indeed they are still considered tokens. So what is the number John?
Tokenism suggests that’s someone is selected because of a race or other attribute versus being worthy of the position. Are you saying the current Supreme Court nominee is not worthy of the position? Are you saying she’s only getting it because she’s black? And that’s the only reason? Does that mean Justice Thomas is a token also?
Because I can’t imagine that you’re picking on her as being a token woman on the court. Of course, until we know how many you need so that people would not be considered tokens, we really can’t answer that. We need your input. Help us understand racism.
I’m guessing that you’re being very specific and in this case your definition of token equals “black woman “. Well again, how many black women must we have on the court for them not to be deemed tokens by iyou. .
They were selected by race you idiot And that’s racism
Oh I think I get it now. So if there are no black women in the Supreme Court and therefore your next nominee you select a black woman because there are none on the court, then that is racism.
But it most of the guys on the court or just old white man, because you only would select old white men, and that’s not racism.
And if you select a race that’s not on the court, then that’s tokenism, and that’s racism.
So, basically whatever we do it’s racist no matter who we select. Therefore there is no racism. Conservatives really have it down. And then we can outlaw teaching racism in the schools, because there is no racism, or there’s racism everywhere, take your pick, it all works.
The question still stands: many tokens must you have before it’s not tokenism to add one more? Two, half dozen, before bench.…
Ben the moron, What in the hell are you babbling about this time?
He’s trying to sound intelligent. He doesn’t know what he’s saying
I know John’s a racist if he thinks this candidate a token and not worthy of the position. I mean Kavenaugh is a token sexual abuser, on the court. Thomas is a token idiot on the court. Tokens everywhere.
Nobody proved Kavanaha had done anything wrong. All that they had was the word of a lying little cock tease with a baby girl voice. And her bullshit story fell apart. And yes no, this “ African American “ being considered isn’t qualified. She’s just another typical liberal that would legislate from the bench because she didn’t like what the constitution says. We need original judges, black or white. And yes, her and Kamala Harris are tokens. Because the idiot in the White House was considering color from the beginning. A black woman justice would be great if they are conservative. PS. I’m so glad that Ginsberg died before the election was stolen. Karma is a bitch
Uh, what makes you think she’s not an originalist?
Her record and the loony groups that support her
Well then, case closed, you have her. Because during her confirmation she told the Senate that she was an originalist, or at least her words said she makes her decisions using originalist thinking.
So she lied to Congress and now you can end her nomination. Good work!
And now we can trash are most experienced supreme court nominee ever. Maybe
The democrats take oaths to uphold the constitution when they are sworn in. But we know that’s a damned lie
If you know it’s lie, clap your hands…..
It’s so much easier to say than to prove.
Actions are louder than words, dickhead