The fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban is not an overnight or unexpected military victory for the Taliban or defeat for the United States. This disastrous outcome has been in the making for quite some time and accelerated exponentially with the deteriorating relations between the United States and Pakistan. Former president Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, both exemplary examples of foreign policy naïveté, set in motion American exit and abandonment of Afghanistan. Pakistan is a major beneficiary, having a friendly Taliban government on its border replacing the pro-US government in Kabul.
Trump’s not-so-secret negotiated agreement with the Taliban, Pompeo’s personal meeting with the Taliban leader, sidelining and undermining the legitimate Afghan government began an irreversible process leading to the Taliban takeover. Notwithstanding the criticisms of the Biden administration’s seemingly chaotic U.S. military withdrawal, the dice had been cast by the Trump administration. The end was inevitable.
Pakistan has never been a trusted ally or partner of the United States on Afghanistan or on any other issue in this troubled region. Successive Pakistani governments view US-India relationship and partnerships as anathema to Pakistan’s national and regional interests. The U.S. has not been very adept at balancing between the two nuclear powers and has clearly demonstrated bias towards India. Pakistan has been kept in the game primarily because of its possession of nuclear arms. The Pakistan military relied on its partnership with the US military. This balance was in the overall national security interests of the United States which go well beyond U.S. interests in Afghanistan.
Most importantly, it was well known the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency has been an ally of the Taliban from the origin of the Afghan group’s emergence out of Pakistan where they were given birth and trained in Saudi Arabian funded madrassas (Wahhabism religious schools). The Pakistan military is also inextricably linked to the Taliban, allowing Taliban fighters safe haven in Pakistan when fleeing US military operations. Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan denies his country’s connection to the Taliban, but no one should consider his denials of support for the Taliban as credible. The evidence is incontrovertible.
Does not matter who was in charge in Washington, there was never any good time to pull out of Afghanistan. Under Trump who also wanted to leave their would have been chaos too. Trump wanted to bring the Taliban to Washington at Camp David for talks over dinner and tea. Still does not excuse Biden for the way this was handled it is another Vietnam in 1975. Staying in Afghanistan for 20 years just gave the people of Afghanistan false hope. The only people who benefited were the weapons makers Congressional contractors and their friends in the US Congress who made a lot of money off peoples misery as during Vietnam.The US could have stayed 100 years with one million troops and there would have been the same result. Afghanistan is called the graveyard of empires for a reason. The Chinese, the Persians, the British, the Russians and the US all failed to control the country losing trillions of dollars and soldiers lives in the process. Afghanistan is a lost cause always will be.
We dere trying to figure out how to stay safe inside and how to do a little traveling to relieve some Stress you coming talking your @$$niss!!!
Garçon is man like you that have this world how it is today!!! Con-fused!!!
How comes you not addressing how this is one more failed attempt to them Albinos trying to stretch their arm to take what is not theirs,,,
20 years after a war them people brought to some poor people to manipulate some people that was just minding their bizniss you coming talking about this Now!!!
Man go pound sand somewhere and leave them Muslims harsh out their bizniss,,,
For centuries them people been surviving in the desert not messing with allyou allyou have to go blame them for something allyouself created talking about people stay over there and plan thing for over in (US) so allyou have to go Bomb them,,,
Man Cha-Man leave dem people alone already is juss so allyou want to mess with rasta when Rasta just what to check deir scene and eat good…
It is ridiculous reading such a comment about Trump and Pakistan. Obama and Biden supported this war for 8 years out of the 20 years, why are they to be absolved. The people who perpetrate wars know
the agenda, we don’t, wars are not fought and won as the way we are taught to believe. What we are seeing is just a slight of hands, it’s
nothing new under the sun. This is just an end to the continuation of some greater plan we do know, so long for your opinion.
There is a calypsonian from St. Lucia who composed a song and titled it
“De Rum That Do That”
So here comes the – good old ambassador – Is Trump that do that.
Robert Gates who served as U.S. Defense Secretary under the Obama/Biden administration said a few years ago.
“Joe Biden have been wrong, on every major foreign policy”.
A few months ago Mr. Gates was on Fox News T.V promoting his latest book, and was asked.
Do you still stand by your statement about Biden’s judgement?
He said yes.
“I still stand by it”
At the end of the Vietnamese war, Biden said.
“The U.S. is under no obligation to help bring any Vietnamese who helped us in the war,to the U.S. No, not one”
So Biden leaving thousands of U.S. citizens behind, including thousands of Afghans interpreters who risk their lives to help the soldiers, should surprise no one.
But, the Ward will tell us.
“Is Trump that do that”