Biden deserves the credit, not the blame, for Afghanistan

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The longest war in the Americas was in all respects a costly failure, and the errors in the management of the conflict deserve close scrutiny in the years to come. But Joe Biden doesn’t own the chaos on the pitch right now. What we were seeing was the culmination of 20 years of bad decisions made by America’s political and military leaders. On the contrary, Americans should be proud of what the US government and military have accomplished over the past two weeks. President Biden deserves the credit, not the blame.

Unlike his three immediate predecessors in the Oval Office, who also came to see the futility of the Afghan operation, Biden alone had the political courage to end the involvement of the Americas altogether. Although Donald Trump made a plan to end the war, he set a departure date that fell after the end of his first term and created conditions that made the situation Biden inherited more precarious. And despite significant pressures and obstacles, Biden has overseen an army and government that has succeeded, since announcing the withdrawal from the Americas, one of the most extraordinary logistical feats in recent history. By the time the last American plane takes off from Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 31, the total number of Americans and Afghan allies extirpated from the country could exceed 120,000.

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In the days following the fall of Kabul earlier, that monthly event that sparked a period of chaos, fear and mourning, critics lambasted the Biden administration for its failure to properly coordinate the departure of the last Americans and allies of the country. The White House was indeed surprised by how quickly the Taliban took control, and those early days could have been better handled. But critics argued that more planning could have stopped the Taliban’s victory and could have made the Americas’ departure more orderly, more like a win or maybe even a draw. The chaos, according to many, was symptomatic of a bigger mistake. They argued that the United States should stay in Afghanistan, that the cost of staying was worth the benefits a small force could bring.

Former military and intelligence officers, as well as commentators who have long advocated expanding the US presence in Afghanistan, have denounced Bidens’ artificial delay. Some critics were former Bush administration officials or supporters who got the United States into trouble in the first place, putting us on the impossible path to nation building and, indeed, a mission with no clear exit. nor measure of success. Some were officials or supporters of the Obama administration who had doubled the investment of personnel in the country and later, when the futility of war was clear, did not have the political courage to back down. Some were officials or supporters of the Trump administration who negotiated and helped bolster the Taliban with their concessions in the peace deal, then suspended the country’s final exit to the next administration.

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They all conveniently forgot that they were responsible for some of the Americas biggest mistakes in this war and were instead a self-righteous glow in their slurs against the Biden administration. Never mind that the Taliban have gained ground since resuming their military campaign in 2004 and, by US estimates still four years ago, controlled or contested about a third of Afghanistan. Never mind that previous administrations dealing with the Taliban included the release of 5,000 fighters from prison and favored an even earlier departure date than the one Biden had adopted. Never mind that Trump downsized US troops from around 13,000 to 2,500 in his last year in office and failed to get US equipment back on the ground. Never mind the delay caused by the active obstruction of Trump and his adviser Stephen Millers on special visas for the Afghans who have helped us.

Regardless of the facts. Never mind the losses. No matter the lessons. Biden, they thought, was wrong.

Despite criticism, Biden, who had pleaded unsuccessfully when he was Barack Obama’s vice president to seriously reduce the US presence in Afghanistan, remained determined. Rather than viewing the heart-wrenching scenes in Afghanistan in a political light as did his opponents, Biden effectively said, “Politics, damned, was going to do what was right and ordered his team to meet the deadline and find a way to make the most of the difficult situation “. in Kabul.

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The Biden administration skillfully adapted its plans, stepping up the airlift and sending additional troops into the country to aid crisis teams and bolster security. 24-hour flights entered and left Afghanistan. Giant cargo planes took off, a number of them carrying up to 600 occupants. Senior administration officials have held regular meetings with U.S. allies to find destinations for these planes to land and places to stay for the refugees. The State Department tracked down Americans in the country, as well as Afghans who had worked with the United States, to arrange their passage through the airport. The special immigrant visa program that the Trump administration had slowed down has been kicked into high gear. Despite years of fighting, the administration and the army have met on several occasions with the Taliban to coordinate the passage of those seeking to get to the airport, to mitigate the risks as much as possible, to discuss their interests. common to respect the deadline of August 31.

The process has been relentless and flawed and, as we have all seen in the most gruesome way, not without enormous risks for those who remain to help. On August 26, a suicide bomber associated with ISIS-K killed more than 150 Afghans and 13 American servicemen gathered in front of the airport. However, even this heinous act did not deter the military. In 24 hours, from Thursday to Friday, 12,500 people were flown out of the country and the president again pledged to meet the August 31 deadline. And he did so even as his critics once again sought to capitalize on the tragedy for their own political gain: Republicans called for the impeachment of Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Hours after the airport attack, America retaliated, killing two terrorists and injuring another with a missile launched from a drone. Another drone strike targeted a vehicle full of explosives on Sunday. In doing so, Biden countered the argument that America might lack the intelligence or military resources we would need to defend against violent extremists now that our troops are leaving.

The very last chapter of the Americas’ blind sojourn in Afghanistan must be seen as an accomplishment on the part of the military and its civilian leaders. Once again, the unique courage and capabilities of the United States armed forces have been brought to light. And, in a radical change from the past few years, one American leader has done the difficult thing, the right thing: put politics aside and put both the interests and values ​​of the Americas first.

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