Quite a few veteran diplomats and observers of the world’s most powerful military alliance, NATO, hang their heads in shame over collapse of Afghan security forces like house of cards , giving Taliban a walkover and West's betrayal and abandonment of Afghan people to a “regime of medieval savagery and backwardness” in the most craven way.
In the US, President Joe Biden faces harsh reproach for telling extremists the planet’s superpower lacks “strength and stamina” against a stubborn enemy, asking Americans to be “alarmed and ashamed” on hastily absconding Afghanistan. The Australian government is being scolded for repeating the Vietnamese mistakes over turning back on Afghan employees. The UK legislators flavor the setback in Afghanistan as shameful.
Taliban’s lightning advance came on the heels of the US hasty retreat, an outcome written on the wall though Americans took too much time to realize. Anticipating an imminent crisis, Pakistan – the South Asian country played major role in bringing Taliban leaders on the negotiating table – has consistently sought the US pursue a “responsible withdrawal” and pull the plug on an inscrutable escape from Afghanistan citing terrorist threats.
Biden wasn’t prepared to regret his decision as the Taliban were conquering provinces after provinces and tightening the noose on Afghan security forces around Kabul. Stunned by the rapidity of insurgents’ territorial gains, NATO’s military retirees of the Afghan war however did so due to “seriously dire” situation and a “strategic mistake” that “sold the future of Afghanistan.”
The movement’s seizure of Kabul – much before 90-day US intelligence assessment and roughly a month after Biden commented it was “highly unlikely” Taliban would be “overrunning everything and owning the whole country” – now places Washington in an awkward position and begets more humiliation for the US and coalition partners.
A staggering amount of $89 billion spent by the US to rebuild the Afghan military clearly sinks with threadbare soldiers surrendering to Taliban like “goats and sheep” or fleeing the country on Uncle Sam-provided vehicles. To Washington’s chagrin, Taliban war booty included not just US tanks and Humvees but also aircraft potentially including Black Hawks and drones, meant to fight them and protect Kabul from annexation.
The way worse than Saigon scenes in Kabul and ongoing embarrassment unfolds cataclysmic failure of the successive US administrations’ Afghanistan policy for which they bear “major responsibility” and can easily be accused for running the risk of making Afghanistan a breeding ground for terrorists and bringing harm to Europeans, Americans and elsewhere through its chaotic withdrawal.
Even Boris Johnson, the closest US ally, went so far as to pin the blame of the security situation in Afghanistan on Biden. The British prime minister followed up his disapproval of the US Afghan strategy and took another swipe at Washington but the US president was yet to notice any dent to the US credibility within allies.
“The West could not continue this US-led mission, a mission conceived and executed in support of America, without American logistics, without US air power and without American might,” Johnson said at the House of Commons. In brief, he questioned Washington’s commitment to the US partners and just fell short of hinting London should relook at the bilateral relationship at least on global security.
Disengagement from the Taliban isn't the right solution either to the compelling issue. They are by any means an important political and military player in Afghanistan. So, it’s crucial to engage them through a rational and non-interventionist approach to remodel a country that is more stable and does not pose security threats to other world states.
Johnson seems ready work with Beijing and Moscow, believing “global cooperation was crucial” and is keen to develop a unified response on forging ties with the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan. While the US constantly is in direct communication with the Taliban and the European Union realizes Brussels needs to talk to them, the warriors can sense a quiet recognition from the world leaders as legitimate Afghan rulers.
The widespread change of heart is bolstering the Taliban. Capitalizing on their diplomatic grooming, thanks to international embrace for the negotiation teams in the last few years, they have smartly made the entire world responsible for the country's destruction and demanded everyone meet the “moral obligation” to help rebuild the devastated state.
A masterful display of advancing Afghanistan’s economic growth is in full swing as Taliban officials appreciate China’s positive contribution to promote peace and reconciliation in the country, seeing Beijing as Kabul’s economic lifeline and showing willingness the world’s second largest economy play an integral role in Afghan reconstruction.
Notwithstanding the Taliban have emerged as the main influential factor in Afghanistan, it won’t be an easy ride to gain international diplomatic or economic support. This is for the militants don’t wholly represent the entire Afghan population, have been warned not to win Kabul by flexing muscles and also as they may be phlegmatic about sharing substantial power with other political parties.
Before pushing forward their economic agenda effectively, Taliban need international recognition, which will be a tough gig to pull off albeit encouraging statements from the world’s leading economies. Most importantly, they will’ve to demonstrate the practical implementation of their commitment to prevent Afghanistan from turning into a launch pad for terrorist activities.
Washington is clearly a defeated power, which pleads Taliban to spare American embassy or citizens in Afghanistan from attacks in return for aid and has been duping its own nation for almost two decades by asking them to rejoice a win the US had never won. The watershed moment sends shockwaves through the American public as Biden’s approval ratings skid in his young presidency with the resurgent virus leading the “promise of April” to the “peril of August.”
Yet, Taliban are entering into a much more exacting phase – rebuilding the economy from scratch and reconstructing a wartorn country – than they’ve encountered so far, attacking and capturing cities through gun power. As the nut of getting international recognition is too hard to crack with the looming domestic political crisis, economic and reconstruction have to be at a very long range.
*This is one of my opinion pieces (unedited) that first appeared in "The Express Tribune":