One of the WORST Foreign Policy Decisions in History?

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky recently characterized President Biden's decisions relative to the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan as among the worst in our history (see Biden’s Afghanistan decisions among worst in history). Really? Is it possible that the senator is engaging in just a little bit of hyperbole in these remarks?

To be sure, the deaths of thirteen service members and the injury of numerous others in the suicide bombing attack near the airport in Kabul was tragic; but how does that compare to the thousands of American and Afghan lives lost in Afghanistan over the last twenty years of war? How does that compare to George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq over non-existent weapons of mass destruction? How many U.S. personnel lost their lives in that conflict? McConnell said that Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal was even worse than our exit from Saigon after the victory of the North Vietnamese. How many U.S. service members did we lose in that war? The worst foreign policy blunder in American History? What about the Bay of Pigs? What about Iran-Contra? What about Obama's red line in Syria? What about Trump's trade war with China or his decision to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens?

Of course, since we are still in the midst of watching the implementation of Biden's policies in Afghanistan, it is probably a little too soon to be trying to engage in any serious or meaningful evaluation of the consequences of those policies! I've said it before - the withdrawal of our personnel and friends from Afghanistan could almost certainly have been handled with greater finesse and grace. Even so, we are still a very long way away from designating that effort as a failure - only time will fully tell that story. McConnell and his allies should be rooting for Biden's policies there (and around the world) to succeed. After all, the successes and failures of any occupant of the Oval Office are the successes and failures of our entire nation (the president is supposed to represent and defend our interests before the rest of the world). In other words, maybe it would be prudent to dial back the rhetoric a little? What do you think Mitch? A little over the top?

Biden's failed policy in Afghanistan?

Tucker Carlson NEVER disappoints my expectations of him. He is ALWAYS reliably partisan and can be counted on to utter some of the most outrageous claims with a straight face! In an opinion piece posted on the Fox News website, Carlson argues that We must hold someone accountable for what is happening in Afghanistan. Any guesses as to who that someone might be? The intrepid reporter wrote: "So rather than just complain about it, let's hold somebody accountable for it for once. Half the Biden State Department had a hand in our failed Afghanistan policy, yet they're still employed there." To be fair, he does mention Pentagon leadership (General Mark Milley in particular) as sharing in culpability for the disaster, but he trains most of his criticism on President Biden for promising that we wouldn't see another fall of Saigon debacle from the American embassy in Kabul.

To be clear, in the 2020 presidential campaign, both Trump and Biden advocated for ending America's longest war in Afghanistan. The rationale went something like this: Our original mission (dislodging Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda from the country) had been accomplished, and nation-building was NOT a realistic or legitimate exercise for U.S. armed forces. In other words, Afghans should be responsible for what happens in their own country.

Fast forward to August 2021, and we are witnessing the rapid collapse of the corrupt regime formerly propped up by the United States, and the re-establishment of the Taliban. For me, this is proof positive that Biden made the right decision to end our long involvement there. After the expenditure of billions of dollars and many lives lost, the country seems to be no better off or more prepared or disposed to prevent the return of the Taliban than it was twenty years ago. Hence, I think that it is a legitimate question to ask: How many more billions of American dollars and lives lost would it take to secure Afghanistan's future? Would a longer U.S. military presence in that country serve to secure it from the reactionary forces which seek to dominate it? If so, how long?

No, I'm sorry - it is clear that America can't fix Afghanistan, and that we have no business trying to. Our interests are clearly tied to making sure that Afghanistan never again becomes a sanctuary for exporting terrorism to the rest of the world. I wish that Afghans would treat their women and religious minorities better. I wish that Afghanistan was a democratic republic that ensured the rights and freedoms of all its citizens. That, however, is the responsibility of the Afghan people. We have a very large beam in our own eye right now. In other words, the United States has quite enough on its own plate to deal with at present. It is disheartening to see the Taliban sweep over the country so easily, but I'm not willing to lift a finger to stop it (and I think that I'm probably not alone in this feeling).