it must implement the idea that all people are created equal and that every nation has the right to remain independent. No country is superior to another. The dispute between nations must be resolved based on Justice and not on ‘Might is Right.
Omer Asad siyasat.net
America invaded Afghanistan in 2001 on the pretext of punishing 9/11 perpetrators. Ironically, prior to the invasion, Afghanistan had not fired a single bullet, nor was any Afghan involved in the death of a single American. As for Osama Bin Laden, who was on their soil during 9/11, the Taliban asked the US to provide evidence of Bin Laden’s guilt and even agreed to hand him over to a neutral third country to be tried for his crimes, US President Bush rejected it. The so-called war on terror has cost America tremendously. During 21 years of bloodbath, bombardment & destruction, America and NATO alliance have successfully destroyed what little was left in Afghanistan’s post-Soviet invasion.
After Twenty-one years of occupation and causing hundreds and thousands of deaths, America is forced to abandon Afghanistan and has lost everything, including their aura of invincibility.
To fathom the losses on both sides, below is the statistics from the BBC1. The actual figures pertaining to the loss of lives among Taliban and Afghanistan civilians must be much higher, as there was no precise way of knowing their casualty figures.
* 3,500 Coalition soldiers were killed; out of it, 2,300 were US soldiers.
* 20,660 US Soldiers were injured, some very seriously.
* Tens of thousands of US soldiers were psychologically impacted for their life.
* The figures of loss of life in the Afghanistan army are mind-boggling. Over 64,100 soldiers got killed.
* Over 111,000 civilians were killed (these figures do not represent the true picture as US forces have no way to get precise casualty figures).
* US spent $822bn of taxpayers’ money. UK spent $30bn & Germany $19
All these years, the US & NATO control never extended beyond big cities while the Taliban controlled most of Afghanistan. And now, with the US & NATO gone, only a fool will think that the Afghanistan army will hold on to power and will be able to defeat the Taliban. Taliban will retake all of Afghanistan in a matter of weeks. They would take Kabul whenever strategically they feel taking it.
The US and NATO made a strategic and tactical disaster in Afghanistan.
Many political pundits and pseudo-political experts (to make a living) are busy creating a spin to a disastrous US policy of invading Afghanistan and trying to give a face-saving and semblance of some achievement. Factually there is nothing to it except failure, destruction, tragedy on both sides.
Taliban is an integral part of Afghanistan society and as we Americans chose our leadership under US Constitution, let the Afghans decide whom they want their rulers to be…. Their system will evolve over time, and the outside world has no role in it!
Some commentators raise doubts about the safety and well-being of Afghans under the Taliban. How sincere are they. and under what capacity are they raising this question? Why were they quiet when NATO and America were waging a war of attrition, and the primary sufferers were Afghanistan’s ordinary people?
The most important question every American should be asking is not about the safety of Afghanistan but their country, the US. What have we achieved after tremendous sacrifices, after spending over a trillion dollar to finance this longest war? Who would answer the families of 2,300 US soldiers killed in a foreign land away from home and defending what? Shouldn’t the politicians, policymakers, and big corporates that made billions of dollars out of the war be answering this fundamental question? Don’t we hold our political leadership accountable for their policies and actions?
Afghanistan is a burial ground for many superpowers of the past. British Empire learned it bitterly. Soviet were fools not to utilize that learning and made the same mistake. And when the Soviet Union broke into pieces, others didn’t learn. The invasion of Afghanistan by the USA in 2001 has come to an unpleasant end after 21 years. What is in store for the USA, only God knows!
The Good Side of the US: The US has earned its independence after a prolonged struggle against the British, and its role in WWI and WWII to save Europe from Fascist take over was highly commendable. The evolution of their internal democratic set-up and their civil rights movement’s success and tremendous stride in scientific and industrial development made it a most sought-after country. The US is still among the better places on Earth. It provides refuge to tens of thousands of people against persecution, and with all its imperfections, it is the biggest democracy in the world. It upholds the rule of law, if not in international relations but at least domestically. It values human rights, equality, and liberty for its people. It had a rich record of 200 years of peaceful transfer of power. It is far more humane than the other powerful nations such as China and Russia domestically and internationally.
The Bad Side of the US: It would have been excellent had it not made some terrible mistakes during the last fifty-plus years. It all started with the Vietnam invasion, followed by the Iraq and Afghanistan fiasco. However, the worst of all is its unjust support to the Israeli occupation with total disregard to the worst human rights violation by Israel’s occupation of Palestine and displacement of tens of millions of Palestinians.
Does the Internal GOOD balance out the External BAD? Only God knows the result of this equation. But there is no doubt that blatant external policy mistakes have cost millions of lives!
The path of Brutality and Injustice Have destroyed nations: No power has ever survived if they chose to follow a route of Injustice and Tyranny. The history is testimony to this divine rule of God. Do the unjust wars of America in Iraq and Afghanistan, which killed many hundreds of thousands of innocent people along with its erroneous and unjust policy on Israel against Palestine, make the US an oppressive nation?
Justice is a prerequisite for a nation to survive: When the Bad side of any country outweighs the Good side, and it becomes tyrannical, the justice of God would be served swiftly and decisively. This divine law applies to every nation on the face of Earth with utmost certainty. Justice is a prerequisite for countries to thrive and grow. No Nation, however powerful it might get, cannot evade the punishment of their crimes, and Justice is served at a time and place of God’s choosing.
I hope and pray that the US hold on tightly to its founding beliefs and principles and be a beacon of freedom, Justice, and equality. Most importantly, it must implement the idea that all people are created equal and that every nation has the right to remain independent. No country is superior to another. The dispute between nations must be resolved based on Justice and not on ‘Might is Right. This would bring much-needed peace to the divided and estranged world. Till then, we, the citizens of the world with a conscience, should not be quiet but must be upfront and educate and call a spade a spade (The author is based at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He can be reached at omersasad@gmail.com)
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