Graphic videos streaming out of Afghanistan document America's foreign policy debacle. Amid Taliban gunfire, desperate Afghans who aided the U.S. military scramble to reach the Kabul airport. Stranded Americans risk their lives to reach safety as the barbaric Taliban kill and maim innocents.
These images are the world's view of America's retreat from its longest war. Afghan leaders long ago deserted the country, scampering to freedom. American-trained Afghan troops fled like whimpering children. After two decades, America's mission in Afghanistan ended in disgrace, not triumph.
Inconceivably, much of the U.S. military force in Afghanistan was airlifted out of the country before the exodus began, leaving previous few assets to guarantee safe passage for those left behind. Prematurely shutting down Bagram Air Base further compromised the ability for a secure withdrawal.
This was not the strategically planned, well executed exit promised by President Joe Biden, who weeks before assured Americans the Afghan military was capable of defending their country and the government was on solid footing. Here is a transcript from the president's July 8th news conference:
Reporter: Is it inevitable that the Taliban will take control of Afghanistan?
President: "No it is not. Because you have the Afghan troops have 300,000 well-trained as well as good as any in the world. And, an Afghan Air Force, against something like 75,000 Taliban. No. It's not inevitable." (Editor's note: Unedited version)
Now the president acts as if he never uttered those words. He audaciously claims he expected the fall and ensuing chaos. Sorry, Mr. President, your words condemn your duplicity. Assigning blame to anyone other than the president for the debacle is political theater, buttressed by a media coverup.
As White House spin doctors wove a narrative claiming the collapse was unanticipated, an internal memo from the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan surfaced, warning officials of the imminent catastrophe after withdrawal. The president knew. His top generals knew. All chose to ignore the counsel.
As the situation grew worse, Mr. Biden and his media protectors bellowed that Mr. Trump was to blame for the withdrawal plan. Yet the president has overturned Trump policies on the border, oil pipelines and other initiatives. Why didn't he change course, if he knew a disaster was imminent?
The uncoordinated departure not only left Americans in harm's way, but allowed the Taliban to confiscate our military's weapons, ammunition, helicopters and rockets. It was an eerie reminder of the frantic withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975, a black-eye for America and its leaders.
Policy makers share guilt with the military and intelligence apparatus. They all failed America. Former presidents Bush and Obama also deserve shame. When wars are politicized, the outcome is usually disastrous. America should have learned from Vietnam, but blundered again in Afghanistan.
The costs for this disaster are enormous, both in the sacrifice of American lives and in the nation's treasury. Here is an analysis from Brown University's Cost of War Project, based on figures from the Department of Defense and the DOD budget:
- 2,448 American soldiers died
- 3,846 American contractors died
- 20,320 American military wounded
- 800,000 American troops served during 20 years in Afghanistan
- Estimated total spending on the war: $2.26 trillion
The price tag includes $800 billion in direct war-fighting costs; $85 billion to train the Afghan military; $750 million to pay Afghan's army; $300 billion for care of American wounded soldiers; and $145 billion on Afghanistan's reconstruction and infrastructure. What did America gain?
Days after the retreat, the independent Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction issued a scathing report, citing failed military strategies, cultural ignorance and an unfettered insurgency that hindered economic development. A key quote from the report:
"Twenty years later, much has improved, and much has not. If the goal was to rebuild and leave behind a country that can sustain itself and pose little threat to the U.S. national security interests, the overall picture is bleak."
Later on National Public Radio the inspector general John Sopko told an interviewer: "Let's try to learn from 20 years so we don't do something this bad, this expensive in money, time and energy and lives again." That sobering assessment should guide future American presidents.
After two spectacular overseas fiascos, America needs a clear-eyed foreign policy framework to guide its decision-making. If the country's leaders do not learn from history, America is doomed to repeat the same mistakes. Here is a new direction the country should embrace:
Foremost, the country should never engage a foreign enemy outside our borders unless the mission is to protect Americans or the nation's interests. In World War II, the objectives were unequivocal. Obliterate the Nazi and Japanese regimes to prevent attacks on America. Wars are not delicate matters.
When troops are deployed, the mission must be clear and the objective supported by the military and the commander-in-chief. Generals and field commanders should be given wide berth to achieve the goals without interference from Washington's lawmakers.
In Vietnam and especially in Afghanistan, politicians pressured the military into adopting "rules of engagement", which may appear civilized to the naive, but put American troops in mortal danger. The military is responsible for the mission, not Washington's Monday Morning quarterbacks.
Many non-western countries, such as Afghanistan, are not ripe for American-style democracy. Anyone with a scintilla of knowledge about the southeast Asian country would have understood the folly of such an experiment. America cannot dictate institutions and politics to other countries. It never works.
Generals and presidents should should ignore media pressure when journalists lambast a battlefield policy, decry a single unfortunate war incident or splash bloody images on television to rattle public morale. If the media wants to dictate rules of war, then arm journalists and send them to the battle front.
Most Americans and politicians of both parties supported the elimination of Afghanistan terrorists training sites. Once that was achieved, President Bush should have reassessed the situation. Instead mission creep became the de facto policy bogging down the military in an endless quagmire.
There should never be another Afghanistan, a 20-year slog to prop-up a doomed government. The price is too steep and the outcome is inevitably calamitous. America will be paying another 20 years on the war debt, long after the Afghanistan conflict and dreadful evacuation have faded from memory.
Despite the sorry ending, America must never forget the courageous men and women who served, sacrificed and bled on battle fields in Afghanistan. They are heroes even if our leaders were political cowards. Let's treat these veterans better than the country did its Vietnam heroes. We owe it to them.
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