{"id":1550,"date":"2021-08-18T14:05:40","date_gmt":"2021-08-18T14:05:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikingwithmike.com\/?p=1550"},"modified":"2021-08-18T14:05:40","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T14:05:40","slug":"august-18-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bikingwithmike.com\/?p=1550","title":{"rendered":"August 18, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether or not you agree with the decision to pull US troops out of Afghanistan, one of the major takeaways for me was Biden\u2019s willingness to step up and take full responsibility for the decision.\u00a0 As you recall, Trump never took responsibility for anything \u2013 unless it was good, and then, it really didn\u2019t matter whether or not he had anything to do with the actual decision.\u00a0 Trump was the original \u2018blamer-in-chief\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0 Biden, by contrast, accepts responsibility for his decisions.\u00a0 I, for one, would much prefer a leader who accepts responsibility than one who just lies and finds others to blame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a while, the Republican National Committee had a blurb on their website about how Trump had successfully negotiated directly with the Taliban (without the participation of the Afghan government, I might add) to end America\u2019s involvement in the country.\u00a0 Interestingly, any reference to Trump\u2019s involvement with Afghanistan and his negotiations with the Taliban resulting in the agreement to withdraw US troops have been completely erased from the RNC website!\u00a0 This is just another example of the revisionist history that is becoming the hallmark of the Republicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Republicans and Trump will likely also forget that Trump insisted on negotiating with Kim-Jong Un of North Korea who is perhaps the most brutal dictator on the planet.\u00a0 North Korea is every bit as repressive and brutal as the previous incarnations of the Taliban.\u00a0 That whole effort was clearly a colossal failure as virtually nothing has changed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am hopeful that Biden\u2019s decision, in the long run, will prove to be the right one.\u00a0\u00a0 If, after 20 years of US military support and spending $1 trillion, the Afghan military and government is not yet capable of defending itself and fighting for their country, it was never going to happen.\u00a0\u00a0 The ending in this conflict was a foregone conclusion and anyone thinking anything different is simply deluding themselves and forgetting history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and were at war with the Muslim guerillas until 1989.\u00a0 It only took them 10 years to figure out they were never going to win this war.\u00a0 It took us 20 years. \u00a0We were in Vietnam for 20 years \u2013 1955 to 1975.\u00a0 And despite all of the ominous warning about what would happen when the US pulled out of Vietnam, it now has a vibrant economy and a growing expat community of US citizens who have retired there.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think any of us agree with the oppressive and brutal nature of the Taliban view of the law under their strict Islamic view of the Koran.\u00a0 However, we are perfectly willing to do business with Saudi Arabia where women were only recently allowed to drive.\u00a0 Saudi is an extremely oppressive government, particularly for women.\u00a0\u00a0 No doubt if Afghanistan were rich in oil, we\u2019d figure out a way to work with the Taliban.\u00a0 In fact, the Chinese are doing exactly that because Afghanistan is a source of rare metals.\u00a0 This is nothing short of hypocrisy on the part of the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan once again becomes a haven for terrorists who target the US, we will have to take action.\u00a0 However, at some point, we are going to have to let the Afghan people determine the fate of their own country.\u00a0 And the fact is, it may be more effective in the long run to use aid dollars and\/or economic sanctions than tanks and planes.\u00a0 The Soviets tried tanks and planes and failed.\u00a0 We have tried tanks and planes and failed.\u00a0 Perhaps its time to try another approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think it will be a rocky road in Afghanistan for a while just like it was a rocky road in Vietnam after Vietnam unified following the US pullout.\u00a0 That said, I think it will prove to be the correct decision in the long run and, like I said, at a minimum, I am thankful to have a president who is willing to make hard decisions and take full responsibility for those decisions.\u00a0\u00a0 That, in and of itself, is a welcome change.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"