… after Afghanistan
No matter how you cut it, slice it or dice it, America suffered a great loss of faith among her allies after their precipitate exit from Afghanistan. Now don’t get your Eyewitness wrong, he remains a firm supporter of the US as far as their support of democracy. But with one of the reasons it stayed on for 20 years after sending in troops in 2001 following the 9/11 disaster was to “bring democracy to Afghanistan”, there might be some lessons for us from what’s unfolding halfway across the world. We’re all connected, if not geographically, certainly geopolitically.
Afghanistan, we know is “the graveyard of empires” and the American withdrawal will certainly augment this reputation. But as with everything else in history, you never put your foot in the same river twice – Ole Man River keeps rolling along and inevitably changes at the spot you’re standing! This America had a vision of itself as the world policeman in what it dubbed “the American Century” after WWII – with the previous great power Britain prostate and exhausted. The torch had been passed.
The USSR was really no competitor since its military strength wasn’t supported with the economic wherewithal to give it “strategic depth”. Ironically, this hollowness was exposed when the USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to support a Marxist regime, but had to retreat ignominiously a decade later. The Mujahideen, created and funded by the US and Pakistan, decimated the Soviets’ occupying army and their withdrawal led directly to the collapse and fissioning of the Soviet Union!
The Mujahideen started ruling Afghanistan, but provoked internal hostility that led to conservative Talibans (students of Islam) – funded and directed by the US via Pakistan – opposing and defeating them. The Taliban gave refuge to Al Qaida which provoked the US post 9/11 invasion in October 2001.
The US then proceeded to spend US$2 trillion in a war of attrition against the Taliban, they’re now conceding, was fruitless. The bottom line was that when America tries imparting democracy into these fractious states, they don’t give enough importance to the local sentiments. Some cultures just don’t give enough credence to the benefits of that form of social organisation and Govts, and it remains very superficial.
The Americans knew years ago they had to leave, but Biden’s decision to do so before the 20th anniversary of 9/11 might have been too sudden. He was warned about the repercussions of a sudden departure by veteran US diplomat Richard Holbrook. Biden replied, “F**k that, we don’t have to worry about that. We did it in Vietnam, Nixon and Kissinger got away with it.”
The question is what exactly is the “it” the US will retain!!
…to China and Asia
Pakistan, China and Russia are enjoying the schadenfreude of America’s discomfiture. They’re insisting that the latter’s allies shouldn’t trust them. India is understandably uncomfortable since the radical Islamic elements in the Taliban will most likely seek to unite themselves by focusing on a common enemy – namely India in Kashmir. That India’s friendly with most of the protesting anti-Taliban elements protesting their takeover doesn’t help.
Re American policymakers, the Commission that examined 9/11 concluded: “We believe the 9/11 attacks revealed four kinds of failures: in imagination, policy, capabilities, and management.” With 20-20 hindsight, we can see that the US failed in each of these areas in Afghanistan. They gotta have the imagination to predict how the Taliban’s gonna govern; create policies to counter them as far as they affect US interests in that area of the world – -like with its Quad alliance with India.
It must assess its capabilities and counter an emboldened China’s resurgence in its backyard.
And better manage its commitments to allies like Guyana.
…at sugar
With the heavens still opening up and disgorging heavy rainfall across the country in this month of August – traditionally one of our driest months – things are looking dread for meeting our sugar targets.
What now?
