by Mustang
Unfortunately, the United States of America has a dismal track record in matters of diplomacy. It’s so bad that even our failed diplomacy has become a disaster. Really? How bad could it be? Let’s review.
After twenty years of George Bush’s War, Joe Biden announced the end of US involvement in a country that has never been a nation. Despite the loss of 3,562 coalition lives and nearly 23,000 wounded and maimed combat troops (discounting lives lost and wounded contractors), $2 trillion in American debt, the Taliban have reemerged. They are sweeping aside the Afghan Defense Force as if they weren’t there.
“Taliban” by newsonline is licensed under CC BY 2.0
And who knows — maybe they aren’t. Maybe the ADF has been with the Taliban all along. The ADF certainly did kill their fair share of the US and coalition military personnel, primarily by shooting them in the back.
President Biden, meanwhile, continues to call for peace talks with radical Islamists who resume the wanton murder of any Afghan who doesn’t share their worldview. What is the view of US diplomats? “We’re stunned,” one official said. According to one CNBC reporter, a US official has warned the region, “The Afghan War will spread beyond its borders.” Not only that, but Biden officials also predict Kabul will fall within 90 days. How’s that for optimism?
From the Taliban’s side of the argument, they wonder, “What is there to talk about?” And the Taliban are probably correct. So far, ten (of 34) Afghani provinces have already fallen to the Taliban.
We can’t credit US diplomatic ineptitude or the Taliban’s radical ethos for the entire problem. We also have to credit the rampant corruption of the Afghan government. One US congressman noted that official corruption is as lethal as Taliban machetes used to decapitate the unbelievers. Not only are the ministers of interior and defense liars and thieves, but they are also as inept as the US State Department — which is saying something. According to one report by journalist Lynne O’Donnell, “Some Afghan police haven’t been paid for months, while sorely-needed ammunition and food deliveries are pilfered before they reach the soldiers.”
The short version of current events in Afghanistan is that the Taliban attack ADF positions from the north and the ADF run as fast as their legs can carry them toward the south. So far, it’s been a very equitable arrangement. So far, the only ADF holding the line against the Taliban are special forces troops and the (cough) air force. Lately, the air force has begun attacking retreating Afghan ground forces. In the long run, this may not be a workable strategy.
One report suggests that the real problem in Afghanistan is that all the American and European contractors have left. These people made logistics work in a country that was never a nation — and never will be. They managed supplies, the organized training, they maintained equipment. Now, they’re all gone, and my guess is they won’t be going back.
So, what silver bullets does the Biden administration have under their skirts? Talking points. Biden’s latest threat is that if the Taliban do not stop taking over provinces, if they continue to press the Afghan government, and/or if they eventually take over the country, Biden will make sure that the international community isolates Afghanistan. Biden must be a dolt. Isolation from the western world is what the Taliban wants — they much prefer a more open arrangement with Pakistan and a more beneficial relationship with Russia and China.
Should any American even care? Well, the mother who lost her son or daughter might wonder why their child had to die if the United States wasn’t serious about “saving” the Afghan women from their abusive Islamacist husbands — which is what Laura Bush told them was the US mission in Afghanistan.
A refresher –
U.S. Evacuation and Fall of Saigon During the Vietnam War
Mustang also blogs at Fix Bayonets and Thoughts From Afar
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