[ad_1]
“How many years can some people exist before they are allowed to be free? “
– “Blowin ‘In The Wind” by Bob Dylan
The Afghan disaster did not happen overnight. It was years in the making. The end began with Donald Trump’s unsuccessful attempt to negotiate a settlement with the Taliban. Not thinking about his actions or their consequences, he gave them what they wanted and the United States had little in return.
The burden and responsibility for Afghanistan lies entirely with Trump. Just a few months before the end, he praised the deal. He called the withdrawal a wonderful thing. After the collapse, this comment and others suddenly disappeared from websites.
Trump wanted to leave on May 1, 2021. In his haste to get out, he essentially left the country to the Taliban. After his deal with the devil took a turn for the worse, he blamed everyone but himself.
In historical terms, Trump is another Neville Chamberlain. In 1938, Chamberlain signed an agreement with the Nazis to appease them. In 2020, Trump signed a deal with the Taliban to appease them. The following year, the Nazis took control of Czechoslovakia. The following year, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. The phrase “those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it” will haunt Afghanistan and Trump.
With his so-called “deal,” Trump has embarked on a full-scale retreat with the Taliban.
The following is only a partial list of this retreat.
Some 5,000 Taliban terrorists have been freed. They also obtained a withdrawal of 8,600 troops. They got all the troop withdrawals in 14 months. The lifting of sanctions, including travel bans, asset freezes and the arms embargo. No Taliban agreement for a ceasefire against our allies.
What did America get? The Taliban have promised that they will not allow its operatives or al-Qaida to use Afghan soil to threaten US national security. Great, we’re going to take a terrorist group’s word for it that will help protect America.
Trump’s deal with the Taliban ignored the government we took 20 years to support. He negotiated with a terrorist group that pledged to destroy that same government.
What about the Afghans themselves? We have spent 20 years helping them. They had two decades of American training. They had too many rifles, tanks, helicopters and other weapons to mention. Some $ 2,000 billion has been spent there. They had thousands of soldiers. And it all fell apart in 11 days. Why?
Much has been said about comparisons between Vietnam and Afghanistan. You can take the above statement, substitute Vietnam for Afghanistan, and never miss a beat. We had over 500,000 people in Vietnam and it collapsed in 55 days.
Trump’s ignorance of the Taliban and what they stood for was appalling. When discussing the deal with Trump, the Taliban saw only the word “sucker” stuck to his forehead. To accept all of the above, you must be one.
Trump said: “If bad things happen, we will come back with a force like no one has ever seen.”
For anyone who believes that, I have this bridge in New York that I can sell you really cheap.
Bad things have happened. The government collapsed and the Taliban took control of the country. Nobody goes back there. When Trump speaks, it’s like listening to the chorus of “The Boxer” by Simon & Garfunkel.
Lie, lie, lie. With Trump’s surrender to the Taliban, it’s no wonder the country has fallen.
This is why the evacuation of the airport was such a mess. No one expected the Afghan troops to withdraw in 11 days. The GOP and others should blame Trump, not President Biden. It was Trump’s shameless retreat from the Taliban that sparked this whole catastrophe.
After 20 years, we are finally out. The Russians spent about 10 years there and got nothing. We spent double and got the same results. Obviously no one is conquering Afghanistan.
In the end, President Biden expressed it better.
“US troops cannot and should not fight in a war and die in a war that Afghan forces are unwilling to fight for themselves.”
Sad but true.
Southgate resident Allan Bieniek has appeared in several publications, including the New York Times and the Harvard International Review.
[ad_2]
Source link