The Taliban Victory

I have so far not commented on the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban. This is partly because my comment could be summed up in the few words ‘I told you so’.

From Day 1, there was never any doubt in my mind that the Afghan government created by the US and her allies would not last much beyond the Western military occupation of the country. Looking back through history, there are numerous examples of Western powers trying to force their own puppet regimes and their own values on other countries very different from their own. Usually, such efforts have failed miserably sooner or later.

This is hardly surprising, given that it is a basic human instinct to group together against others who speak different languages, who come from very different cultures, and who have very different values. Especially when such others are occupying your country militarily and are trying to force through changes based on their culture rather than yours.

Now, after 20 years, at least a trillion dollars of taxpayers money, innumerable unnecessary deaths, and immense suffering, the Western powers have learned anew the hard lesson outlined above. Hopefully, it will finally sink in, although I am not holding my breath, knowing the nature of governments.

This is not to say that I applaud the victory of the Taliban. The Taliban is about as nasty as its worst detractors claim. However, Westerners need to understand that there are parts of the world that they simply cannot control. If they really want to help the unfortunate Afghans who want a life different from the one stipulated by the Taliban, there is, however, one thing they can do: Open the borders!

Allowing the persecuted Afghans to escape from the Taliban is the one obvious and humane solution that simultaneously avoids the West getting entangled in Afghanistan. However, surprisingly few of the people who claim to have the best interests of the Afghans at heart are open to this solution. Yes, they want to help the Afghans, but only if the Afghans stay well away from them. Such is the hypocrisy of the West. No wonder if the Afghans find such Western values rather lacking in both sincerity and consistency.