Afghanistan: is Biden right?

The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan has acted as a catalyst for the rapid fall of the Afghan military and government, concluding with the capture of the capital, Kabul, after just a ten-day campaign. While the initial process of US staff departing Afghanistan was started by President Trump in February 2020, it fell to Joe Biden to deliver on the commitment and despite the rapid deterioration unfolding in Afghanistan. Biden, in a speech made on the 16th of August 2021, claims to stand by his decisions, even in the face of widespread scrutiny, blaming the fall of Afghanistan on weak local leadership and a half-hearted attempt on behalf of the Afghan army. In my opinion, this stance is shameless blame deflection and does nothing to acknowledge the repeated failures of the US and NATO, both during the near 20 year occupation of Afghanistan, and in the removal of troops from the nation.

US Troops load onto a Chinook to head out onto a mission in Afghanistan (Reuters)

To understand the more recent failures of Western powers in Afghanistan, it is important to understand the shambolic nature of the nation’s occupation. The invasion of Afghanistan by the US and its allies began on October 7th 2001, less than a month after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City. The invasion was part of George Bush’s ‘War on Terror’. The invasion set out to topple the power of the Taliban and thus deny Al Qaeda a safe base of operations. Unsurprisingly, the war was technically over by December 17th and so began the occupation of Afghanistan. The next move of the US and its allies was to begin rebuilding the Afghan state. In a story mirrored in Iraq, a Euro-American style of state was attempted to be forced onto a nation requiring a more nuanced and organic form of state. The simple truth of the matter is that state-building is not a military operation and some of the core tenets of a stable state, such as fostering a national identity, instilling the idea of accountability in political representatives and establishing truly effective political institutions are not things a military is equipped to promote. The failure to establish an effective and secure state in Afghanistan meant that, despite Joe Biden’s claims to the contrary, the withdrawal of the overbearing military power of the US and allies from Afghanistan would lead to the formation of a power vacuum and widespread destabilisation.

Returning to present day, the main motivating factor, at least in my mind, for bringing the troops home from Afghanistan, was PR. A triumphant homecoming of troops deployed for nearly two decades should have shone the Biden administration in a good light, especially with next year’s midterm elections looming. In his recent speech, Biden stated that state-crafting in Afghanistan was never the MO of the US and NATO. While technically true, the initial aim of toppling the Taliban and ensuring that Afghanistan could not be used as a harbour for terrorist cells in the future, should warrant the construction of a stable state to avoid the nation once again slipping into the extremist quagmire it found itself in in the 1990s. History has proven that patience is key in fostering a prosperous and secure state. Look no further than South Korea and Germany; two of the worlds most prosperous economies and home to rich cultures. Both nations house more US troops than were deployed in Afghanistan, 20,000 and 40,000 respectively. The military presence in both countries have provided a stabilising influence, in South Korea’s case, for nearly half a century. So while Joe Biden may proclaim that it is ‘past time’ to bring the troops posted in Afghanistan home, history has told us that 20 years is only a fraction of the time that should be afforded to rehabilitate a nation recently at war.

US Troops above Helmand Province (AP)

A further point of grievance I have with the withdrawal from Afghanistan, is the manner it was conducted in. Not only did the US military leave their Afghan allies isolated almost overnight, but they took with them their military contractors. Mechanics, cooks, logistical contractors etc. were all withdrawn with the troops, leaving the small Afghan army with trillions of dollars of equipment they did not know how to use or maintain. The argument employed by Joe Biden and those across the West that the Afghan army was at fault for not putting up enough of a fight against the Taliban is completely bogus and is simply a mechanism by which to deflect blame away from the corridors of power in the West. By leaving the army defenceless and demoralised, how could the US and NATO have expected any different outcome.

So here we are, nearly 20 years after the invasion of Afghanistan. The Taliban are back in power, threatening the rights and liberties of all Afghans, especially women and Afghanistan is once again likely to shelter terrorist cells. A waste of two decades, trillions of dollars and most importantly the lives of soldiers and civilians whose sacrifice is now rendered void after one of the largest foreign policy blunders of the century.