Pulling Off the Band-Aid

Artwork by Michael DiMilo

By Geoff Carter

In chaotic news footage reminiscent of the (to say the least) undignified and disorganized American exit from Saigon in 1975, the U.S. military, diplomatic corps, and translators have been attempting to flee Afghanistan after the seemingly unexpected and lightning-fast Taliban military takeover of the Afghan government. 

Fearful for their lives and possible reprisals from the newly installed Taliban regime, hundreds of Afghan citizens swarmed the Kabul airport, jamming jetways and boarding stairs to planes preparing for takeoff. Some were so desperate to leave they clung to the fuselages of departing jets, falling to their deaths during takeoff. Seven people, including a two-year old toddler, died in mad crush of humanity trying to gain access to the airports—and freedom. Some, realizing the futility of finding a flight, have simply hunkered down at home to await the arrival of the Taliban and—very possibly—their executions. 

President Biden has come under strong criticism for his handling of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, even though he maintained that no one could have foreseen the incredibly rapid collapse of the Afghan Army as the Taliban swept through most major cities in a little over a week Biden expressed surprise and disgust that the Afghan Army lay down their arms—provided by the U.S.—without a fight, but—in truth of fact—the Taliban had been laying the groundwork for months, bullying and cajoling government forces into surrendering or switching sides, taking advantage of tribal rivalries, religious differences, and disgust with government corruption. (Collapse and Conquest:The Taliban Strategy that Seized Afghanistan: The New York Times, Aug 18, 2021)

President Biden also reiterated that his hands had been tied by a deal negotiated with the Taliban by former President Trump, a deal that guaranteed a gradual American withdrawal along with provisos for power-sharing and a minimum of bloodshed. Whatever his rationalizations, the Biden Administration screwed up the withdrawal—and screwed it up badly. Intelligence should have known and communicated that Taliban forces were negotiating surrender terms as early as last April. They should have set up contingency plans for removing American diplomats, contractors, and sympathizers much more expeditiously. But they didn’t; they fumbled the ball. 

As badly as the withdrawal has gone, the end result, as it was in Vietnam, is that American involvement in an ill-conceived and interminably prolonged war is finally ending. The original mission to topple the Taliban after their collusion with Al Qaeda in the 9/11 attacks had been uncovered was accomplished in a few months, but American involvement continued for twenty more years, costing $2 trillion dollars and nearly 2,500 American lives. And for what? 

America propped up an Afghan government that did not represent its own people. They did not believe in it, trust it, or want it. Constructed in the mold of our own republic, the Afghan administration ignored the cultural fabric and historical forces at work in its own society. In the lexicon of the American military logic in Vietnam, it did nothing to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Americans thought they were helping defeat the Taliban, and with it, international terrorism, and of course assumed they were helping the Afghans exorcise a horrible evil from their society. The people felt otherwise.

President Biden, with a surreal assist from Donald Trump, got us out of America’s longest-running war. He stopped the bleeding. It wasn’t—and isn’t—pretty, but there will be no more American money spent and no more American lives lost in Afghanistan. It is reprehensible that American sympathizers and translators who assisted American troops have been (literally) caught in the crossfire, but that should hardly come as a surprise. The calculus determining the scope and quality of Afghan resistance was as badly flawed as the logic behind the war itself. The U.S. government should also be held accountable for the nearly 2,500 service men and women who lost their lives and to the 20,000 more who suffered injuries, many who will need lifelong health care. Analysts predict that post-war costs may top $2 trillion dollars.

Many veterans feel betrayed by their own country. American combat veterans of Afghanistan will bear the physical and emotional scars of their wartime experience for life. And the agony doesn’t stop when they get home. Suicide is the second-leading cause of mortality for post 9/11 combat veterans. 

The Biden Administration didn’t do it right, but they did it. Its failure to assess the situation properly and to prepare for an adequately prepared departure are reprehensible, but even more disgraceful is the lack of political courage that should have had removed American troops from Afghanistan twenty years ago. 

Americans do not seem to learn from their mistakes. Korea was a mistake. Vietnam was a mistake. So was Afghanistan. Every time Americans enter a country and try to impose their values on a foreign society, disaster ensues. We need to get over the arrogant assumption that everyone on the planet wants to live like an American—to be an American. Some do, but many prefer to live by the values taught to them by their parents, their faith, and their society. 

This botched exit strategy should have not come as a surprise; it’s only one in a seemingly interminable series of mistakes made by U.S. foreign policy. Until we understand that America is not the greatest country in the world, we will continue—like a lunatic—to make the same mistakes.

It hurt like hell when they pulled off this band-aid, but at least now we can begin to heal and to put this debacle behind us once and for all.