This past weekend the news turned more sour than usual. The horrific destruction wrought by an earthquake in Haiti and the disastrous unfolding of the U.S. withdrawal in Afghanistan have temporarily knocked the lethal surge of Covid-19 off the front page. Take your pick as to what is the worst. The first was an “act of God,” but the other, two for the most part, were preventable.
The awful photos and stories coming out of Afghanistan about the American withdrawal and takeover by the Taliban are, without a doubt, troubling if not downright embarrassing and potentially disastrous for the United States. And the situation is cruel and demoralizing for the Afghans who after twenty years of U.S. protection were beginning to enter the twentieth century at least. Make no mistake about it, President Biden bears responsibility for how this plays out.
Television and the print media have joined leading politicians in both parties condemning the swift withdrawal and the failure of the White House and intelligence agencies to understand or predict what has happened. Excuses are being made and blame is being passed around. Unfortunately, all of this is predictable given how obsessed we have become with the 24 hour news cycle and social media. Immediate news begets immediate blame and analysis.
At this point, I’m with Tom Friedman who wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times this morning entitled “Biden Could Still Be Proved Right in Afghanistan.” A Middle East specialist and a multiple Pulitzer Prize winner, Friedman writes that we really need to withhold judgment until the “morning after the morning after” to see exactly what happens both in Afghanistan and American politics.
As sordid and disheartening as the scenes are from Afghanistan, we must not forget that the bedrock of international relations and diplomacy is realpolitik. Realpolitik is based on practical politics rather than ideals meaning that ethical considerations are frequently disregarded in pursuit of national interest. The Afghans, unfortunately, are the losers here. It remains to be seen if the withdrawal of American power is the best move for our national self-interest. Perhaps one day Americans will abandon their naive belief that they can fix everything.
You don’t see CV-19 as an “act of God”? I suppose if it were it would be harder to lay blame at the feet of Trump for not having prevented it. What fun would that be? If that point could be whipped into hot enough rhetoric his responsibility can be extended to include the other 96% of global population. Now there’s a dog to be flogged – responsibility for all of humanity. Would not would include Afghanistan?
But now Biden is responsible for how it plays out? Wasn’t it Trump who ordered a withdrawal? How’d you let that slide? Thank goodness he did of course. If it saved one American life it was worth it. How many American deaths would you suggest is just the right number for how many Afghanis?
To blame Biden is Monday morning quarterbacking for sure. What exactly was he to do? It seems his sin is to have not followed the well-considered opinions of the “statesmen” and military experts. If only he had dialed-in the exact steps distilled from the think-tanks, all would go smoothly? That’s doubtful. Setting aside that Afghanistan has been in turmoil for centuries, it is the arrogance of the politico-statesmen in collusion with military elites that have brought us to where we are. But, the Afghanis are where they are because of their actions and decisions – not because of ours.
Biden was exactly on point when he asked if they won’t defend themselves why should the children of America defend the people of Afghanistan? You suggest that ignores the premise of realpolitik – the ends justify the means. Do you really believe that is a concept we should embrace? Or even accept? That’s what we should be?
It might be more helpful to revisit George’s admonition that we be friendly with everyone and avoid entanglements with anyone. They can work it out if they decide to do so. Or they can just sit there in the dirt.
You are exactly on point to hope that Americans would abandon the naïve notion that they can fix everything – either domestic or international. But to charitably describe those motivations as simply “naïve” obscures that the root problem rises from an arrogant belief that certain people have special abilities that gives them license to “fix” the lives of others both foreign and domestic. Individuals here don’t believe that any more than they do in Afghanistan.