Misjudging Taliban: Biden’s monumental error of judgment

Afghanistan presents Biden with an unwinnable challenge. Americans wanted their soldiers home, yet the U.S. also says it stands as a defender of human rights.

Afghanistan presents Biden with an unwinnable challenge. Americans wanted their soldiers home, yet the U.S. also says it stands as a defender of human rights.
Afghanistan presents Biden with an unwinnable challenge. Americans wanted their soldiers home, yet the U.S. also says it stands as a defender of human rights.

Biden in dilemma

There are no Human Rights in any of the countries that follow certain principles. From Obama to Biden the Democratic Party has followed principles that suit’s its purpose and constituents and nothing else. It has gotten worse with progressives and the brand of leaders that make up this setup.

Israel and India are punching bags. Recall Yazidis who were sold all over and their homes and population ravaged and brutally wounded – no human rights for the administration.

If the alacrity with which Taliban has taken control is any evidence – either Biden administration was asleep or as is often the case fed the wool.

What was the urgent unannounced purpose of the visit by William Burns to Pakistan?

Against the Pentagon wishes who advised Biden to pull back imperiling the lives of diplomats and staff?

What has happened to the bombers and other artillery sent? No reporting.

Intelligence failure or intelligence ignored.

Remember the wool pulled over by Susan Rice and Hillary and Obama on Benghazi – some random people were waving flags and protests outside the embassy – what turned out is different.

Perhaps we will never know since the focus is on Trump Records, Border Surges, Draining America Wealth, critical race theory, changing election laws, use DOJ to flout norms, and so on.

Prayers to our men and women in that Embassy.

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is happening with dizzying speed.

In just a few weeks, the militant group has swept from province to province until it reached the outskirts of the capital, Kabul, earlier today.

Rather than push on militarily, it seems for now the Taliban are letting the government fall on its own.

All signs are that President Ashraf Ghani will agree to a power-sharing arrangement. Which in effect means the Taliban will be back in charge — coming full circle 20 years after the Americans booted them out — and Ghani will either step down or move to a figurehead role, someone to give the Taliban a veneer of respectability with the rest of the world.

While the Taliban are issuing statements about ensuring “the transition process is completed safely and securely, without putting the lives, property, and honor of anyone in danger,” the danger is their actions will be quite different.

Controlling the customs posts and border crossings (aside from Kabul airport) and with the Afghan military collapsing, the Taliban hold the cards. Russia and China will be comfortable engaging with the group’s leaders.

But already there are reports the militants are seeking to reimpose the fundamentalism that defined their earlier rule. Two decades of painful but hard-won progress for women and civil society could vanish.

A concern for neighbors is that an exodus of refugees from Afghanistan could include terrorists and Uyghur separatists. The Taliban might permit groups like al-Qaeda to train and operate from there.

Afghanistan presents U.S. President Joe Biden with an unwinnable challenge. Americans wanted their soldiers home after so many years of fighting. And yet the U.S. also says it stands as a defender of human rights.

Biden is unlikely to reverse course despite the growing criticism. “I was the fourth president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan — two Republicans, two Democrats,” he says. “I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth. — Rosalind Mathieson.[1]

Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.

References:

[1] What Next for Afghanistan Under the TalibanAug 15, 2021, Bloomberg

VC Chairman & Founder at Elevate Innovation
Sridhar Chityala is a globally recognized leader in the financial services industry having held senior executive leadership roles at JP Morgan Chase, Citi, Wachovia/Wells Fargo, Teknekron, National Australia Bank and Commonwealth Bank Australia.
Sridhar Chityala

5 COMMENTS

  1. US asking Pakistan to release the current Taliban leader from prison, undermining previous Gov and holding talks with Taliban and knowing that this vacuum will be filled by Rus-China axis, is the US that eager to pull out or they have some plan to make the region busy with instability and fighting? For US the present number one enemy is Iran i think all of their moves are against them. I i wonder if Saudi, Qatar led negotiations under US nose and choosing the Taliban leader, leaving quite hastily has any implication on future of Iran-US conflict. Just a hypothesis

  2. USA intelligence is now a but a basket of jokes
    a) Weapons of mass destruction – not found even today
    b) Iran has nuclear weapons more than USA & Russia – not found even today
    c) iran is danger to the world – Nothing has happened in the world which would be attributed to Iran, but happened more to Iranis themselves.
    d) Taliban is enemy !! USA gifts Kabul to Taliban
    e) USA is a democracy – but supports all militant – ISIS, Taliban

    USA never won any war….yet it is a super power. Truth of paper super power.

  3. How come 350 thousand strong Afgan army could not fight 50 thousand Taliban? It turns out, 350 thousand is for the payroll purpose, actual number probably $500 billion. Who was in the white house didn’t matter. During all these times the military industrial complex made few trillion dollars -all paid by “patriotic” citizens. That is the only bottom line.

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