Vietnam Part Deux - Run Away
"As a result of Blair's decision, 457 British soldiers lost their lives for no clear reason other than hubris."
They say history repeats itself, especially when the lessons of the past are forgotten. Therefore, it is remarkable that it took the USA only a few decades to ignore the pointless chaos and destruction of the Vietnam War. How else are we to judge the withdrawal from Afghanistan, with troops slipping away while the zealots of the Taliban are on the march again? The parallels with Vietnam are striking and uncanny.
I don't blame the men and women who bore arms. They answered the call and did their best under difficult circumstances. However, again, the real culprits behind this shameful episode are the politicians who send young people into battle with poorly defined objectives and no clear endgame.
Unlike Vietnam, the Brits took part this time as part of NATO. In 2001, Tony Blair jumped in with both feet, although, of course, none of his kids would be doing the fighting. As a result of Blair's decision, 457 British soldiers lost their lives for no clear reason other than hubris.
With commendable foresight, Harold Wilson, the former Labour Prime Minister, had the wisdom to keep Britain out of the Vietnam War. However, sadly, Tony Blair lacked the essential skills of forward planning and backbone, proving all too willing to follow Bush's commands. Iraq is yet another example of a shockingly misguided invasion.
These British victims join an estimated 65,600 Afghan soldiers, 2,420 Americans, 159 Canadians, 89 French, 57 Germans, 53 Italians and 321 other assorted nationalities killed. At the same time, the Taliban lost 51,000 plus. Then you have 3,937 contractors killed—finally, an estimated 47,245 civilian men, women and children. Tens of thousands were injured.
According to Save the Children, an average of five children have been killed or injured each day over the past 14 years in Afghanistan.
That data cannot capture the human toll on families, the wounded, or shattered communities. Let us remember the particular tendency for drone strikes on Afghan wedding parties. Attempting to justify the killing of over 40 people, including several toddlers during one such strike, a U.S. spokesman asserted, "Who holds a wedding in the middle of the desert? We know what was going on." With that remark, he summed up the clueless approach of Western forces. A lack of cultural awareness, wilful blindness, and a 'we had to destroy it to save it' attitude highlight the mindset.
The U.S. has spent a staggering total of $2.26 trillion on the war. That's just under 10 per cent of the U.S. national debt in 2020. Imagine what could be achieved with that; new hospitals, refurbished roads, bridges, and airports.
The Defence Department's latest 2020 report stated that war-fighting costs amounted to $815.7 billion. This includes operating expenses such as fuel, food, Humvees, weapons, ammunition, tanks, armoured vehicles, aircraft carriers, and airstrikes.
Although America initially invaded to retaliate against al-Qaida and eliminate its hosts, the Taliban, the U.S. and NATO soon shifted to a more open-ended mission: nation-building on a large scale.
Washington has invested over $143 billion in that aim. Of that, $88 billion went into training, equipping, and funding Afghan military and police forces. An additional $36 billion was allocated to reconstruction projects, education, and infrastructure. Furthermore, $4.1 billion has been allocated to humanitarian aid for refugees—finally, the campaign to deter Afghans from selling heroin globally cost over $9 billion.
As part of nation-building, the West attempted to impose a liberal democracy model on a tribal nation with no history or experience of such systems. That effort failed. The so-called democratic government is corrupt to the core and so widely reviled that even the Taliban appear more welcome to some sectors.
Plus, the reason for going to war was dubious at best. While the Taliban did shelter al-Qaida forces, it's not clear that Bin Laden was there at the time. Later, he appears in Pakistan, a supposed U.S. ally. Not only that, he lives next door to Pakistan's top military academy. That's where SEAL Team 6 caught up with Bin Laden.
Did the entire enterprise prove a colossal waste of human life, capital, and time? Was it an honourable endeavour? Indeed, the NATO forces could win battles and seize ground, but without a stable, trusted government in place, they couldn't translate those victories into anything meaningful.
It's hard not to conclude that, as a resurgent Taliban advances, the effort was futile. Conveniently, the U.S. left behind a vast collection of weapons that could now fall into the wrong hands.
Meanwhile, Bush and Blair, the decision-makers, are busy manipulating history to excuse their mistakes. With each attempt, Blair seems more haunted because the truth remains unavoidable. "I want to talk about happy things, man!” protested President Joe Biden, when pressed by reporters about the withdrawal.
In Parliament, Boris Johnson tried to put the best spin he could. Finally, a few Conservative MPs showed some decency by acknowledging that "it looks a bit like the last days of Vietnam, an unprecedented and hurried exit with no commitment."
Reports of flag lowering in secret and NATO forces slipping away from bases without informing their Afghan partners don’t sound reassuring. At one location, the local militia only realised the Americans had left when looters entered the base. The withdrawal remains out of sight of the media because imagery depicts defeat.
Here's what happens next: civil war, millions displaced, thousands dead, and a new threat from the emboldened, rearmed Taliban. As the Taliban tighten their grip, heroin production will surge to fund their rebuild of an Islamic state. Along the way, their efforts will destabilise the region, including the border with China's sensitive Xinjiang province.
Prior to that, minority groups faced terrible choices of either leaving, converting to Islam, or facing death. This ethnic cleansing is a direct consequence of NATO's departure. In 1992, under Taliban rule, Hindus and Sikhs were forced to wear yellow armbands. Expect similar, or worse, as a brutal theocracy takes control.
In the West, late in the evening, a mother will sit in silence, asking herself, what did her son die for? Did he make the world safer? Did he free an oppressed group? At best, she can find some comfort in knowing that, for a brief window of time, Afghan girls received an education, albeit with some semblance of order restored. Maybe you could argue that a weakened al-Qaida delayed more attacks. But, unfortunately, all is about to be reversed.
Meanwhile, the Afghans will question why they trusted the Americans and the West, considering the terrible fate that now awaits them.
So, next time—and there will be a next time—the West needs to pause and ask itself: Are we prepared to stay the course? Or will it again lower flags after dark to slip away, leaving another bloody mess behind? Because without an integrated military and political plan, these ventures are deadly follies of colossal proportions.
July 2021
I don't blame the men and women who bore arms. They answered the call and did their best under difficult circumstances. However, again, the real culprits behind this shameful episode are the politicians who send young people into battle with poorly defined objectives and no clear endgame.
Unlike Vietnam, the Brits took part this time as part of NATO. In 2001, Tony Blair jumped in with both feet, although, of course, none of his kids would be doing the fighting. As a result of Blair's decision, 457 British soldiers lost their lives for no clear reason other than hubris.
With commendable foresight, Harold Wilson, the former Labour Prime Minister, had the wisdom to keep Britain out of the Vietnam War. However, sadly, Tony Blair lacked the essential skills of forward planning and backbone, proving all too willing to follow Bush's commands. Iraq is yet another example of a shockingly misguided invasion.
These British victims join an estimated 65,600 Afghan soldiers, 2,420 Americans, 159 Canadians, 89 French, 57 Germans, 53 Italians and 321 other assorted nationalities killed. At the same time, the Taliban lost 51,000 plus. Then you have 3,937 contractors killed—finally, an estimated 47,245 civilian men, women and children. Tens of thousands were injured.
According to Save the Children, an average of five children have been killed or injured each day over the past 14 years in Afghanistan.
That data cannot capture the human toll on families, the wounded, or shattered communities. Let us remember the particular tendency for drone strikes on Afghan wedding parties. Attempting to justify the killing of over 40 people, including several toddlers during one such strike, a U.S. spokesman asserted, "Who holds a wedding in the middle of the desert? We know what was going on." With that remark, he summed up the clueless approach of Western forces. A lack of cultural awareness, wilful blindness, and a 'we had to destroy it to save it' attitude highlight the mindset.
The U.S. has spent a staggering total of $2.26 trillion on the war. That's just under 10 per cent of the U.S. national debt in 2020. Imagine what could be achieved with that; new hospitals, refurbished roads, bridges, and airports.
The Defence Department's latest 2020 report stated that war-fighting costs amounted to $815.7 billion. This includes operating expenses such as fuel, food, Humvees, weapons, ammunition, tanks, armoured vehicles, aircraft carriers, and airstrikes.
Although America initially invaded to retaliate against al-Qaida and eliminate its hosts, the Taliban, the U.S. and NATO soon shifted to a more open-ended mission: nation-building on a large scale.
Washington has invested over $143 billion in that aim. Of that, $88 billion went into training, equipping, and funding Afghan military and police forces. An additional $36 billion was allocated to reconstruction projects, education, and infrastructure. Furthermore, $4.1 billion has been allocated to humanitarian aid for refugees—finally, the campaign to deter Afghans from selling heroin globally cost over $9 billion.
As part of nation-building, the West attempted to impose a liberal democracy model on a tribal nation with no history or experience of such systems. That effort failed. The so-called democratic government is corrupt to the core and so widely reviled that even the Taliban appear more welcome to some sectors.
Plus, the reason for going to war was dubious at best. While the Taliban did shelter al-Qaida forces, it's not clear that Bin Laden was there at the time. Later, he appears in Pakistan, a supposed U.S. ally. Not only that, he lives next door to Pakistan's top military academy. That's where SEAL Team 6 caught up with Bin Laden.
Did the entire enterprise prove a colossal waste of human life, capital, and time? Was it an honourable endeavour? Indeed, the NATO forces could win battles and seize ground, but without a stable, trusted government in place, they couldn't translate those victories into anything meaningful.
It's hard not to conclude that, as a resurgent Taliban advances, the effort was futile. Conveniently, the U.S. left behind a vast collection of weapons that could now fall into the wrong hands.
Meanwhile, Bush and Blair, the decision-makers, are busy manipulating history to excuse their mistakes. With each attempt, Blair seems more haunted because the truth remains unavoidable. "I want to talk about happy things, man!” protested President Joe Biden, when pressed by reporters about the withdrawal.
In Parliament, Boris Johnson tried to put the best spin he could. Finally, a few Conservative MPs showed some decency by acknowledging that "it looks a bit like the last days of Vietnam, an unprecedented and hurried exit with no commitment."
Reports of flag lowering in secret and NATO forces slipping away from bases without informing their Afghan partners don’t sound reassuring. At one location, the local militia only realised the Americans had left when looters entered the base. The withdrawal remains out of sight of the media because imagery depicts defeat.
Here's what happens next: civil war, millions displaced, thousands dead, and a new threat from the emboldened, rearmed Taliban. As the Taliban tighten their grip, heroin production will surge to fund their rebuild of an Islamic state. Along the way, their efforts will destabilise the region, including the border with China's sensitive Xinjiang province.
Prior to that, minority groups faced terrible choices of either leaving, converting to Islam, or facing death. This ethnic cleansing is a direct consequence of NATO's departure. In 1992, under Taliban rule, Hindus and Sikhs were forced to wear yellow armbands. Expect similar, or worse, as a brutal theocracy takes control.
In the West, late in the evening, a mother will sit in silence, asking herself, what did her son die for? Did he make the world safer? Did he free an oppressed group? At best, she can find some comfort in knowing that, for a brief window of time, Afghan girls received an education, albeit with some semblance of order restored. Maybe you could argue that a weakened al-Qaida delayed more attacks. But, unfortunately, all is about to be reversed.
Meanwhile, the Afghans will question why they trusted the Americans and the West, considering the terrible fate that now awaits them.
So, next time—and there will be a next time—the West needs to pause and ask itself: Are we prepared to stay the course? Or will it again lower flags after dark to slip away, leaving another bloody mess behind? Because without an integrated military and political plan, these ventures are deadly follies of colossal proportions.
July 2021
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