Published September 11, 2021 at 12:52 pm
Column. After 20 years of war in Afghanistan, it is not just Kabul that has slipped out of the hands of the United States. Everywhere, American power and American influence are being challenged, writes Pat Buchanan.
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When the hijacked planes hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and gave al-Qaeda a sanctuary.
Today, the Taliban control Afghanistan and provide a sanctuary for al-Qaeda . So what did we achieve with our longest war?
The Afghan army and government we supported and maintained for decades have collapsed. The US military has withdrawn. American citizens and thousands of Afghans who fought with us have been left behind.
Today's triumphant Taliban are much stronger than the Taliban in 2001, who fled when they met NATO. al-Qaeda is now in far more countries than when we first launched the global war on terrorism. The Middle East to something like ours the Midwest and move on from there “with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in the world.”
Our country has been a place of change since 2001. Gone are the unity, trust and determination. And how have all our interventions gone?
Let's look in the scrolls.
Afghanistan is a hopeless fall and disappears back into the darkness. There are reports that the Chinese may be interested in establishing a base at the Bagram air base.
Saddam Hussein is long gone. But the Iraq we invaded to remove the weapons of mass destruction that did not exist is now dominated by Iranian-backed Shiite militias. In support of the Baghdad regime, there are only 2,500 “non-combatant” US troops, who are allowed to remain. a hell of a hole when it comes to human rights.
Bashar al-Assad emerges victorious from the civil war thanks to the intervention of Russia, Iran and Hezbollah on his side. The millions of Syrian refugees who fled west during the civil war have helped turn Lebanon into a failed “failed state”. about control. The United States, however, is not visible.
Despite our support for the Saudi airstrikes that made Yemen a second humanitarian disaster, the Houthi rebels still control the northern part of the country and the capital Sanaa.
If we look back at the half a dozen wars in the Middle East that we have been involved in since September 11, 2011, can we say that we are better off today than then? al-Qaeda, IS, Boko Haram and their associations have established themselves in Arab, Asian and African countries, far beyond Afghanistan.
And if we look ahead for our own part, where is the United States headed?
How can we maintain all the commitments that have drained us for 20 years, when our opponents and enemies seem to be growing stronger, while our own claims to be the world's last superpower are becoming increasingly challenging?
Just as Donald Trump seems Joe Biden wants to give up attempts to create nations abroad. Are we now withdrawing our troops from the Middle East, staying away from their future wars and tackling the challenges of Russia and China?
And how long can we defend a Europe that refuses to defend itself from a Russia? which is stronger and more confident than two decades ago, when Vladimir Putin succeeded the powerless Boris Yeltsin?
In the Arctic, the Baltics, Belarus, Ukraine and the Black Sea, Putin and Russia have more room for maneuver and can take more fearless action than in 2001.
Only one in three NATO countries fulfills the commitment to spend 2% of their GDP on defense, as Europeans today identify immigration as the greatest threat to the continent.
Among the reluctant is Angela Merkel's Germany, the outgoing Chancellor who approved Nord Stream II. A pipeline that will soon double Germany's dependence on Russia for natural gas.
How long can the United States maintain its new policy of including Xi Jinping's China? How long can we deter China from expanding in the South and East China Seas at the expense of the Philippines, Japan and Taiwan?
In 2000, China's economy was smaller than Italy's. Today, it is an equal competitor to the United States, with a population four times as large.
Beijing produces more than us, has a growth rate that has exceeded ours for decades and achieves an annual trade surplus of billions of dollars against the United States in the trade in manufactured goods.
And China in 2021 is more aggressive and confrontational than China around the turn of the millennium. How long can we keep our 30,000 troops in South Korea and remain responsible for deterring Kim Jong Un's North Korea from attacking the South?
In relative terms, the United States is not the dominant power we were 20 years ago, while our opponents appear stronger and more united. Our most prominent rival, Xi Jinping's China, seems to be more aggressive and belligerent compared to the China we let into the World Trade Organization.
Whether we look back or look ahead, the trends do not look bright.
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PAT BUCHANAN
Pat Buchanan is a conservative writer and columnist. He is one of the most famous political commentators in the United States and regularly participates in radio and television. He has been a political adviser to three Republican presidents; Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan.