Comments by "" (@tekannon7803) on "The Fall of Afghanistan: A Conversation with Peter Bergen (Episode #258)" video.

  1. Sam, I'm going to say what I think as an independent observer in a European country that is next to Italy and France. From my perspective-and I have no military or political experience--my profession is writing; I'm an author; my career is in the arts and music, so what I say probably won't move a pawn in anyone's chess game let alone be spot on for seeing things as they really are. Here's my take on your President's bold move to put an end to America's presence in Afghanistan. I don't think America has done a bad job of getting out of Afghanistan or has she abandoned the Afghanistan people or betrayed her allies---although people like yourself and Tony Blair would say the opposite. And I can see your perspective. What is happening though, could never have been done much differently with less confusion and loss of life. We have to remember that anti-western powers do what they do best and that is to thwart anything that smacks of progress from western countries and that means throwing a stick in the spokes of anything that rolls in democracy's favor. Anti-western powers will make a killing from playing the Taliban for every cent they can steal from them. China said it right: "Why should we care if the Afghanistan people want the Taliban to run the country and everyone live like barbarians?" They'll siphon off every lingot of copper, gold, silver and a dozen other natural resources by smiling away as the Taliban take the Afghan people to hell and back. I believe that the evacuation was a good thing for your country, because after twenty years, even a superpower like America has run out of magic tricks to keep the ball rolling in democracy's favor. By pulling out, albeit in a way that will bring a storm of criticism for decades to come, America and her allies can regroup. It costs the American government US $1,000,000 a year to keep a single soldier on duty abroad, for example. But mostly your country can catch its breath, count the losses and reassess the situation from afar. We must remember that the world has changed since the last time the Taliban were in power. They are going to encouter something they weren't bargaining for and that is that women have changed. The international place has women in charge of many important entities that the Taliban will need to be in harmony with. Women have more power than the Taliban realize. The international community will not stand idly by to see the women and girls of Afghanistan be submitted to living a less-than-normal existence. The plain simple truth of the matter is that the Taliban are not going to get the last laugh on their 'wehrmacht pastiche' of a victory. The utter size of the evacuation means that confusion will reign for the months ahead; Afghanistan will fade into darkness; but the world will not stand by passively if the Taliban bring in ISIS and Al Quada and other terrorist organizations. Britain has already says that if Al Quada is back in Afghanistan, they'll be back. Sam, it's a hard one and your analysis on situations like this go miles ahead of anything I could come up with, but I just try to look at what's happening and gather my data, do my research and give my gut reaction to problems unfolding in the world.
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