Afghanistan: Political failure, not military failure

PLEASE STOP USING OUR MILITARY AS A GLOBAL POLICE FORCE 

IF THERE IS NO PLAN FOR OVERWHELMING VICTORY, STAY HOME

The last time we actually won a war was WW2. It was an overwhelming victory and it resulted in peace for many decades. Since we have embraced the role of the worlds policeman we have wasted lives and treasure in politically run police actions that have all been failures. The military should be used only when all diplomacy has failed. And if military action is necessary, it should then be given instructions to take whatever action is necessary for unconditional victory. 

We have the best military and equipment in the world, but politicians who have no idea about the determination of their adversaries. They believe that our adversaries act like themselves, that they can be bought, bribed and persuaded to compromise their principles cheaply. 

They have miscalculated the determination of our enemies and the patience of the American people. Our enemies know by our recent history that we can be waited out, that we like to tout negotiations and peace deals and that the American people have little appetite for endless wars.

If we determined that an invasion of Afghanistan was necessary for the safety of the country, then we should have embarked on a policy of eliminating every Al qaeda and Taliban in the country. If after we were done there were very few of age males left, so be it. If we are not willing to engage in all out war, then just shut up and stay home.

Our politicians and state department created the mess in the middle east. We financed and supplied Al Qaeda and the Taliban in an effort to depose the Soviets from Afghanistan. They were a creation of our foreign policy. We destabilized Iraq, our ally, a counter to Iran. We engaged in regime change in Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Iraq and Libya. We created a migration crisis that is the worst since WW2 which has destabilized all of Europe We envisioned some kind of marshall policy for the middle east. A policy that used the rebuilding of europe after WW2 as a model. They never took into account that there were major differences in culture, religion and a distrust of the west that made it an inevitable failure.

They believed that money was the way to buy what we we wanted. Everyone is willing to take the money, but behind the scenes nothing has changed. Afghanistan is the perfect example. 

The failures of the middle east policy started over 40 years ago. I suspect many in the intelligence community and state department are still unwilling to admit their failure. 

We lived and co-existed with the Muslim world for centuries. When we determined that the rest of the world needed to adopt our way of life, a way of life that has been degenerating in the eyes of the populace in that part of the world, we embarked on a foolish  policy powered by our hubris that we could rule the world. We cant, nor should we. 

Everyone wants to reject everything Trump, but his attempt to restore trust and respect with our dealings with the Muslim world was a step in the right direction. Coexistence is possible, let them run their domestic policy the way they want. We have areas of common interest which we should cultivate, just let them live how they want in their countries.

It was no secret we were leaving Afghanistan, why did we not plan an orderly evacuation of our people and the Afghans who were our allies? What happened to the step by step plan, with conditions for compliance by Taliban.  Biden, in desperation, is now blaming the Trump administration. Biden had 7 months to plan for this eventuality, it is, plain and simple, a colossal failure of leadership.