When historians look back on our era, they will identify the summer of 2021. As the moment the American public turned against President Joe Biden. During that summer, the crisis at the southern border grew despite the President’s claim that things were under control. During that summer prices rose despite Biden’s assurances that inflation would be temporary. Most significantly, on August 26 2021 13, American servicemembers died in a terrorist attack amid the panicked, humiliating and unnecessary us retreat from Afghanistan. Biden’s popularity has yet to recover from the blow, it’s a stain during the Afghan debacle. American morale has not recovered either. The Afghan defeat was an invitation to further provocation, disorder and violence. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping watched as the US government abandoned the democratically elected government of Afghanistan. The self inflicted blow to American security and international credibility was welcomed in Moscow and Beijing.
Put a no doubt reason that if Americans were willing to throw Kabul overboard after 20 years, we surely would do the same to our allies and Keef. Six months later, he launched the largest war in Europe since World War Two. Xi Jinping no doubt interpreted Biden’s blunder as further evidence of American decadence. It was another signpost on Xi’s path to invading Taiwan.
America’s flight from Afghanistan was a taste of things to come. Since then, Biden has evacuated partially or fully embassies in Kyiv, Belarus, Sudan and Egypt where the US Embassy in Kyiv has reopened. But the stain on a reputation remains. As the Taliban retook Afghanistan in August of 2021. Americans learned quite a bit about their leader, President Biden had been in the public eye for close to half a century, yet peculiar aspects of his character were only then starting to surface. The families of the 13 service members killed in action through cold comfort from Biden’s aloofness as well as his callous habit of relating every tragedy, no matter how unrelated to his own experience. In the years to come. Residents of East Palestine Ohio, and most recently Lahaina, Hawaii would feel the same dejection and disappointment.
Biden was dishonest. He said America would continue efforts to bring our people home, the US citizens and permanent residents remain in Afghanistan. These days, the Taliban hunts down and persecutes the hundreds of 1000s of Afghans who assisted us forces, subjecting these freedom fighters to extra judicial killing, and forced disappearance. Biden also said that America’s over the horizon military capability would prevent Afghanistan from becoming a terrorist haven. While Biden deserves credit for ordering the strike that killed al Qaeda co founder Iman al-zawahiri in Cabo last year. The fact that Zawahiri was in Afghanistan in the first place, showed that the Taliban does not operate in good faith.
The original elements of al Qaeda, the terrorist group that struck the United States on September 11 2001, may be decimated, but successor organizations such as the Islamic State of Corizon, or ISIS K have replaced their evil forebears.
According to documents obtained by the Washington Post, ISIS K has plotted multiple attacks on targets in Europe and Asia from within Afghanistan, and over the horizon is too far away for America to do much about it. In his speech to the nation on August 31 2021. Biden also claimed that America would continue to champion the rights of Afghan women and girls
empty words. We’ve done little to stop the Taliban from denying women secondary and university education and equal employment, nor have we prevented the Taliban from barring women from public spaces. To the contrary, US and Taliban officials recently participated in two days of talks. Treating the Taliban as a normal government is a deadly mistake. harboring terrorists and suppressing freedom are not quirks of the Taliban. They are its mission.
And we’ve been here before, willful ignorance and wishful thinking characterize the US approach to Afghanistan the last time the Taliban took it over in 1996. Five years later, the brutal reality was brought home with mass casualty attacks in New York and Washington. The lesson is clear, absent punitive action against Taliban, special assistance for Afghan translators, and a substantive commitment to global security in Europe, the Indo Pacific and the greater Middle East. The situation in Afghanistan will continue to deteriorate. The threat to our interests and to ourselves will grow. Another rude awakening will draw closer to yours on Biden’s Afghan route haunts him still. It haunts the rest of us too.
Matthew Continetti
Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Commentary
Our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions on complex topics.
Is the US looking for a war?
11 hrs ago
Peter Zeihan
How future generations could shift US support for Israel
Yesterday
Peter Zeihan
Why election of European Commission president is so important
Wednesday
Peter Zeihan
‘Both completely corrupt’: What Americans think of Biden, Trump
Tuesday
Dr. Frank Luntz
Biden’s declining popularity began in Afghanistan
Matthew Continetti
Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
By Straight Arrow News
In February, 2020, the United States and the Taliban agreed to a ceasefire requiring the U.S. and NATO allies to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan no later than May, 2021. The United States completed the withdrawal of forces on roughly that schedule, evacuating the last U.S. troops in August, 2021. The Afghan national government folded shortly thereafter, symbolized by the Taliban takeover of Kabul itself.
Straight Arrow News contributor Matthew Continetti argues that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, conducted in a manner that concerned even fellow Democrats, was the beginning of the end of President Joe Biden’s popularity.
When historians look back on our era, they will identify the summer of 2021 as the moment the American public turned against President Joe Biden.
During that summer, the crisis at the southern border grew despite the president’s claim that things were under control. During that summer, prices rose despite Biden’s assurances that inflation would be temporary.
Most significantly, on August 26, 2021, 13 American service members died in a terrorist attack amid the panicked, humiliating and unnecessary U.S. retreat from Afghanistan.
Biden’s popularity has yet to recover from the blow it sustained during the Afghan debacle. American morale has not recovered either. The Afghan defeat was an invitation to further provocation, disorder and violence. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping watched as the U.S. government abandoned the democratically elected government of Afghanistan. This self-inflicted blow to American security and international credibility was welcomed in Moscow and Beijing.
Putin no doubt reasoned that if Americans were willing to throw Kabul overboard after 20 years, we surely would do the same to our allies and Kyiv. Six months later, he launched the largest war in Europe since World War II.
Xi Jinping no doubt interpreted Biden’s blunder as further evidence of American decadence. It was another signpost on Xi’s path to invading Taiwan.
When historians look back on our era, they will identify the summer of 2021. As the moment the American public turned against President Joe Biden. During that summer, the crisis at the southern border grew despite the President’s claim that things were under control. During that summer prices rose despite Biden’s assurances that inflation would be temporary. Most significantly, on August 26 2021 13, American servicemembers died in a terrorist attack amid the panicked, humiliating and unnecessary us retreat from Afghanistan. Biden’s popularity has yet to recover from the blow, it’s a stain during the Afghan debacle. American morale has not recovered either. The Afghan defeat was an invitation to further provocation, disorder and violence. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping watched as the US government abandoned the democratically elected government of Afghanistan. The self inflicted blow to American security and international credibility was welcomed in Moscow and Beijing.
Put a no doubt reason that if Americans were willing to throw Kabul overboard after 20 years, we surely would do the same to our allies and Keef. Six months later, he launched the largest war in Europe since World War Two. Xi Jinping no doubt interpreted Biden’s blunder as further evidence of American decadence. It was another signpost on Xi’s path to invading Taiwan.
America’s flight from Afghanistan was a taste of things to come. Since then, Biden has evacuated partially or fully embassies in Kyiv, Belarus, Sudan and Egypt where the US Embassy in Kyiv has reopened. But the stain on a reputation remains. As the Taliban retook Afghanistan in August of 2021. Americans learned quite a bit about their leader, President Biden had been in the public eye for close to half a century, yet peculiar aspects of his character were only then starting to surface. The families of the 13 service members killed in action through cold comfort from Biden’s aloofness as well as his callous habit of relating every tragedy, no matter how unrelated to his own experience. In the years to come. Residents of East Palestine Ohio, and most recently Lahaina, Hawaii would feel the same dejection and disappointment.
Biden was dishonest. He said America would continue efforts to bring our people home, the US citizens and permanent residents remain in Afghanistan. These days, the Taliban hunts down and persecutes the hundreds of 1000s of Afghans who assisted us forces, subjecting these freedom fighters to extra judicial killing, and forced disappearance. Biden also said that America’s over the horizon military capability would prevent Afghanistan from becoming a terrorist haven. While Biden deserves credit for ordering the strike that killed al Qaeda co founder Iman al-zawahiri in Cabo last year. The fact that Zawahiri was in Afghanistan in the first place, showed that the Taliban does not operate in good faith.
The original elements of al Qaeda, the terrorist group that struck the United States on September 11 2001, may be decimated, but successor organizations such as the Islamic State of Corizon, or ISIS K have replaced their evil forebears.
According to documents obtained by the Washington Post, ISIS K has plotted multiple attacks on targets in Europe and Asia from within Afghanistan, and over the horizon is too far away for America to do much about it. In his speech to the nation on August 31 2021. Biden also claimed that America would continue to champion the rights of Afghan women and girls
empty words. We’ve done little to stop the Taliban from denying women secondary and university education and equal employment, nor have we prevented the Taliban from barring women from public spaces. To the contrary, US and Taliban officials recently participated in two days of talks. Treating the Taliban as a normal government is a deadly mistake. harboring terrorists and suppressing freedom are not quirks of the Taliban. They are its mission.
And we’ve been here before, willful ignorance and wishful thinking characterize the US approach to Afghanistan the last time the Taliban took it over in 1996. Five years later, the brutal reality was brought home with mass casualty attacks in New York and Washington. The lesson is clear, absent punitive action against Taliban, special assistance for Afghan translators, and a substantive commitment to global security in Europe, the Indo Pacific and the greater Middle East. The situation in Afghanistan will continue to deteriorate. The threat to our interests and to ourselves will grow. Another rude awakening will draw closer to yours on Biden’s Afghan route haunts him still. It haunts the rest of us too.
What kind of leader America needs
The American public remains divided and unhappy about the state of the country leading up to the next presidential election, and former President Donald Trump now holds a narrow lead in the matchup against President Biden. While Biden portrays Trump as a threat to American democracy, voters in key states ironically trust the former president…
Jun 27
NATO is stronger now than ever before
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been called the most powerful military alliance in world history, and serves as the bedrock of military security for Europeans, Americans and allied populations around the globe. The importance of the alliance has been reiterated by recent events, namely Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and increasing threats from China.…
May 23
Who will Trump pick for vice presidential running mate?
Donald Trump is now clearly on track to run as the GOP candidate for president in the 2024 elections, regardless of how his various criminal trials proceed. What’s less clear is who else might run as his running mate for the position of vice president. Straight Arrow News contributor Matthew Continetti reviews a list of…
Apr 25
Education, income becoming key variables in elections
Education, income level, geography, race and ethnicity are all key variables in estimating who voters might support. But the importance of these variables has changed in recent elections, as America’s demography, culture and political movements continue to evolve. Straight Arrow News contributor Matthew Continetti argues that education and income level have become more important than…
Mar 21
If we’re lucky, AOC and the Squad are on their way out
The Squad, comprised of eight left-wing House Democrats, has been openly critical of Israel both before and during Israel’s war with Hamas. As primaries approach, some of these House members are facing challenging political races. Straight Arrow News contributor Matthew Continetti delves into the backlash against the Squad and hopes its members will face a…
Feb 22
Underreported stories from each side
Group accuses Pa. teachers union of illegally using money to back Shapiro’s 2022 campaign
8 sources | 0% from the left
Getty Images
Some House Republicans slam Vance as Trump’s VP pick: ‘The worst choice’
8 sources | 0% from the right
Reuters
Latest Stories
Congress still trying to figure out how to reduce wasteful military spending
Watch 2:29
6 hrs ago
US Navy, Air Force making waves with new weapons at RIMPAC
Watch 6:03
6 hrs ago
Israeli PM Netanyahu meets with Trump at Mar-a-Lago
Watch 2:54
6 hrs ago
Growing US nuclear power resurgence reaches the nation’s heartland
Watch 1:19
6 hrs ago
Beer from the sun, other solar thermal projects get government funding
Watch 2:04
6 hrs ago
Popular Opinions
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum.
Trump has an excellent opportunity with Black voters
11 hrs ago
Star Parker
Don’t fall for GOP’s cheap racist attacks on Kamala Harris
12 hrs ago
Dr. Rashad Richey
Americans must reject Trump to defend our democracy
Yesterday
Jordan Reid
Why all the changes in European parliamentary governments?
Wednesday
Newt Gingrich