I know I tend to take a more positive tone in most of my posts, but we are now two weeks into the devastating failure of the Afghanistan evacuation and I’m struggling to find the light. Despite the administration’s efforts to reassure the international community by way of the tens of thousands evacuated so far, the full picture of it all isn’t pretty.
Take this excerpt plucked from Politico:
You can neither build back better, nor make America great again by refusing the role of leadership in the free world. Those words mean even more to me today than when I wrote them just last week. In the absence of American leadership on the Afghanistan withdraw, the world is struggling to keep pace with the chaos as it unfolds.
The digital data trail laid out in the excerpt above is just the latest shocking reality coming to light. The pitiful strategic planning exhibited over the last several years has failed to account for the technical savvy gained by the Taliban during the preceding two decades. Now, because of that failure, those left behind are at an even greater risk than previously thought.
The worst part is that it didn’t have to be this way, and the French are proving it. If I was in more of a joking mood, I’d make the expected underhanded comment about the proud history of French retreats – but I’m just not there yet. I have to hold back because they executed the most sound withdrawal strategy of them all.
The French began withdrawing Afghan staff as early as May of this year, with only French nationals remaining in their embassy into July. Their thoughtful planning allowed them to protect their most vulnerable Afghan staff and their national security interests.
I find it…difficult…to believe that two consecutive American administrations couldn’t, or wouldn’t, have found a way to do this better.
The Afghan people are facing a grim future. Regardless of the platitudes coming from the Taliban PR department, reports of abuses are already coming out of Afghanistan. Afghans who worked with the international coalition partners are being targeted. United Nations personnel are being told to limit visibility of female staff. The writing is on the wall. We know the next chapter.
As I write this, I’m lying in my toddler’s bed helping her to get to sleep. I find myself torn between gratitude for my own reality and despair for what the future holds for the good people of Afghanistan.
We can feel powerless in moments like this, and maybe we are because the events are already in motion. But there will be more moments ahead – both within this conflict and whatever next generational crisis arises. It’s up to us to set the example for our elected officials. So, if you’re as frustrated as I am, it’s time to practice some introspection.
I think we need to be asking ourselves some meaningful questions. Is it really time for a retreat from the world stage? Or, is it more important than ever for us to be a force for good in a troubled world? And one final question to ponder (maybe the most important): if not us, who?
Part of the Possible 