Our world has faced the dominance of many superpowers. Many empires had raised and declined. For example, Rome was a powerful empire. Then, Britain dominated empirical power in Europe. At the end of World War II in 1945, America got power. At the same time, USSR was also a mighty empire. Their rise and downfall were spontaneous no one could give the example of the specific date of their rise and downfall. British Empire ruled the world and dominated its powers on the world from 1800 to 1950. After the Suez Canal crisis, the USA became the leading power in the world in 1955.
Following this, Afghanistan has been considered to be the graveyard of empires for the last 30 years. In the 19th century, Afghanistan was colonized by the mighty British Empire. Later, Soviet Union established its empire in 1978 with a communist form of government in Afghanistan. It lost its excellent economy due to the communist government in a 12 year time. Then when they left after 1989, USSR faced a breakdown. We have been observing the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, which is quite shocking.
Consequently, the Taliban took over Afghanistan after a long twenty-year struggle and made the previous government come to its knees. It was expected that the intelligence committee had ensured that it would certainly happen if the USA withdrew its troops. Still, it was unexpected, so rapid and softly. The war continuously between the USA and Taliban for the last 20 years was considered an endless war.
The successful administration of the US had been ignoring the situation. When Trump started negotiation with the Taliban, and finally Joe Biden followed. the Taliban took over Afghanistan, bringing an end to America’s longest war. Still, it impacted American credibility and international politics. This is the point where I can see the downfall of American power and European dominance. This watershed moment will be remembered for formalizing the end of the Pax American and bringing down the inevitable West ascendancy when China challenged the global preeminence of the USA. The USA may never recover from the strategic blow and disaster. Now the world knows the USA can leave its allies in Peril Act its on choice. Interestingly, those who were supporting the Afghan government and the USA are in trouble now. Some experts are off the view that the Taliban might take revenge. The dramatic collapse of Afghan defence and then the government was directly linked to US betrayal. Biden and Trump had reduced US forces to 25000 in Afghanistan that could have stayed unless the negotiations with the Taliban were more stable. They could have saved this revolt and the chaos in Afghanistan, but they ordered the rapid exit. The USA had trained Afghan forces but did not make them capable enough to be independent. They always relied on NATO and America.
The USA was supplying weapons and controlled the forces on its hands. Biden’s order to pull out troops without a transition plan unleashed a Domino effect on 8500 NATO troops and 18000 US military members withdrew within 6 months and left Afghan forces alone.
It was not a military failure but a political failure. The two decades of war brought the Taliban back to power again in 2001. The geopolitical implications of the US defeat in Afghanistan are much more significant globally than the American defeat in Vietnam in 1975. Taliban recapture of power brought a chance for other extremist group movements. Taliban power in Afghanistan will sooner threaten USA security; by contrast, China’s interest will be aided by the Taliban’s defeat, the world’s most powerful military. The exit of the USA has left great space unfilled for China to replace it to become a superpower in the world. China has made strategic roads into mineral-rich Afghanistan and depends on its penetration of Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asia. China gave diplomatic recognition and much-needed infrastructures, and economic assistance to Afghanistan. The images of helicopters transporting Americans from Afghanistan are the significant loss of American credibility and power in the world.
NASEER AHMED
Lasbela
