Can the U.S. Recover From the Afghanistan Debacle?
Its mismanaged exit has hurt its friends and will embolden rivals and terror groups alike, with lasting repercussions. Rebuilding American credibility won’t be easy.
The new face of Kabul.
Photographer: Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images
President Joe Biden’s defense of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was callous, self-serving and deeply unconvincing. Above all, it was beside the point. The question is no longer whether U.S. troops should have stayed. It’s how the U.S. can minimize the damage caused by this grievously bungled exit.
Some of the gloating among U.S. rivals is overdone, but there’s no doubt U.S. credibility has suffered a crippling blow. Abandoning loyal Afghan allies to their fate will haunt future U.S. interventions around the world. Friends have been snubbed. Rival powers will take heart. Terror groups that were always going to be hard to target from afar are now set to grow bigger and faster than before. Recovering from this debacle will require long, painstaking effort.