Biden in Afghanistan

I have never been in the military. I don't know how things are supposed to work. I know what I don't know, and I am writing with that thought in mind.

For the past two weeks, the press and Republican politicians, talking heads, and hard-right crazies have bashed Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. Some Democrats have joined in with somewhat tempered critiques. The most frequent charge has been that Biden did this without a plan. Considering what I do know about how government and the military operates, that is inconceivable. None of those second-guessing this operation have opined on a plan or what we should have done differently. I am not surprised at that. I am disappointed that few of them have been challenged by interviewers or pundits in real-time.

During the weeks immediately following 9/11, the country rallied around Bush and the military. At one point, shortly after Bush spoke to Congress, his approval rating approached 90%. Today, 20 years later, our politics and our culture have become so polarized that Biden's ratings have declined since the start of this evacuation and withdrawal effort.

The decision to go to Afghanistan in the first place will be a source of disagreement for historians to sort out. I am hopeful the decision to withdraw will be seen as the right thing to do in a few news cycles. It was inevitable. It had to be done. It was never going to be clean and easy.

But, should we have expected a President to speak to the American public and say this was "going to be a mess, chaos, and death." Of course not! That kind of pessimism and defeatism is not who we are. Biden would have been pilloried had he made that kind of speech. Below I have laid out (not necessarily in order) what I believe are some truths about this episode in American politics and foreign policy based on following closely the events of the decision to withdraw.

Read here for a timeline that details the critical moments of this event. https://tinyurl.com/t2u28679

In February of 2020, the Trump administration signed an agreement with the Taliban that: excluded the legitimate Afghan government, sanctioned the release of 5,000 imprisoned Taliban fighters, and obligated the US to withdraw forces by May 1, 2021. Several instances of the Taliban violating this agreement occurred during 2020; however, by January 2021, the Trump administration reduced our force level in Afghanistan to 2,500 troops. Nevertheless, commentators on the right have blamed Biden for this minimal level of troop strength. Republicans, being "the party of a strong national defense," said nothing.

For most of 2020, the Trump administration froze the SIV program allowing Afghans who aided us during the 20 years we were there from applying for asylum via the US. Stephen Miller primarily drove this policy. That should not be a surprise, given his atrocious views on immigration. Many more Afghan allied interpreters, friends, and helpers would have been approved to evacuate had we not taken this tact.

In April of 2021, Biden gave an address detailing his proposal to withdraw our military presence from Afghanistan, claiming that our future goals in Afghanistan were unclear. Biden addressed the previous agreement made by Trump, claiming that he needed to be mindful of that agreement, but also the US needed more time and preparation to withdraw. Unsaid in that claim was the fact that Trump had already drawn us down to a level that was not optimal for this operation.

Let's look at Biden's choices at this critical juncture. He could have increased the troop level to prepare for the evacuation on whatever date it would have occurred. The Taliban, already overtaking territory by Spring of 21, would see this as an escalation and a breach of the agreement with Trump. This could have been catastrophic for our troops and possibly our diplomatic cadre in country.

I am reasonably sure this eventuality was not overlooked by foreign policy and national security in the Biden administration. I am similarly convinced that Biden drew a line with the Taliban in talks in Doha that we were moving the deadline, which was non-negotiable. These nuances are not being discussed in rapid-fire cable news interviews and, sadly, not even in many longer-read news articles.

Another choice Biden could have made would have honored the Trump deadline of May 1, 2021. In early April, the Biden administration began warning American civilians working in Afghanistan to prepare to get out or even to get out as soon as practical. The Republicans being the "party of personal responsibility," should have lauded this approach. Instead, they said nothing.

What would any of the talking heads have done given these and possibly other clearly difficult choices?

Biden moved up the deadline to August 31. That was not bowing to the Taliban as many on the right have insisted. It could be because of political optics or simply practicality, but it becomes a talking point among Republican whiners, nevertheless.

In most historical precedents, American patriots, regardless of political leanings, would have held fire until the outcome of a major operation was more apparent. In our poisonous political atmosphere, that does not seem plausible. The scathing attacks from the GOP have destroyed our public discourse on any matters of national importance.

Biden's decision was again questioned more vociferously because of an attack on our troops and civilians trying to gain entry into the airport. The attack was horrific. The blame rests on the radical right-wing faction that is ISIS-K. Note that I called ISIS-K right wing. Yes, they are because they adhere to the same ideological precepts. Control poplar voices and ideas, control the information flow, remain in power. But I digress.

Biden has made a brave decision in removing our military presence from Afghanistan. The attacks he has engendered from the Republicans are disingenuous. We are out of Afghanistan now. We will find ways to get those Americans who did not react in time. We will find ways to get Afghan allies who could not make their way to Kabul. I believe we will do everything we can to accomplish those goals.