- It happened in Vietnam in the 1980s, and it is happening now in Afghanistan as the United States of America’s ill-advised misadventures in these countries under the guise of heralding democratic rules has simply failed to deliver on expected lines. Despite years of military occupation, spending billions of dollars, and losing thousands of precious lives, the disastrous outcome only goes to reaffirm the folly of getting into unfamiliar international terrains. What is common to both situations is the remarkable failure of American leadership in failing to provide anything remotely resembling tangible solutions to the devasted citizens who were hopeful of leading lives with dignity and peace.
PC: Hoang Phuong
- It is beyond fathomable to witness how the fast-unfolding events in war-ravaged Afghanistan are playing out over the last few days ever since the USA started pulling out its stationed troops of two decades in a jiffy. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stepping down and fleeing the country tantamount to ceding control to the rampaging Taliban. The progress made by Afghan civil society over the last two decades risks being wiped out without a trace. It’s not rocket science to realize that the hardest hit will be Afghan girls and women who will be targeted with adverse outcomes. There are already reports emerging of them being forced to marry Taliban fighters and also being prevented from continuing with their jobs in Taliban-controlled areas.
- People following the unraveling developments in the country would have noticed how in the months preceding the Taliban’s latest offensive, several prominent Afghan women activists and public personalities were mercilessly killed by Taliban-linked gunmen. It’s just a matter of time before a return to the strict interpretation of Shariah under the Taliban which would be nothing short of a monumental disaster for Afghan women, intellectuals, artists, and minority communities. No wonder, the US must take the biggest blame for this unfolding imminent tragedy. It is nothing short of shocking how the Joe Biden administration has carried out the American troop withdrawal once the decision was made after setting a timeline.
PC: NEWS WIRES
- Reportedly evacuating bases in the dead of the night has not only jolted Afghan security forces, leaving them low on morale and confidence but also raises pertinent questions about the premature abdication of responsibilities not expected from the self-professed hegemony. It is apparent how the Biden administration has been amazingly naïve about the capability of the Afghan military. It is astonishing how the world’s biggest military power spent 20 years training an army that simply collapsed in around 20 days without offering much of a fight against the advancing enemy. Such a disgraceful fall is bound to raise a larger question in foreign policy about American leadership. What it entails for the Indian leadership as a consequence though?
- That New Delhi has assiduously hitched its strategic wagon to the US no sooner than the Chinese misadventure at the eastern borders is well established by now. However, the emerging Afghan situation should make us think twice about placing all our eggs in Washington’s fragile basket. It is always known that the US will place its own calculations above those of its allies if it comes to the crunch. Thus, India must build, strengthen, and emerge stronger in terms of economic as well as strategic depth without relying too much on the USA. In the interim, threat perception along the western borders will be heightened given the falling out of Afghanistan to the Taliban. Adequate preparation along the borders would not harm whatsoever.
