Never say Biden isn't willing to reinforcing Afghanistan! "Shortly after taking office, Biden reversed President Trump’s executive order to keep Gitmo open and is lining up inmates to transfer out of the prison with the goal of emptying it and shuttering it — even though the remaining prisoners have long been classified by military intelligence as the worst of the worst and too dangerous to release." Does Biden really believe he ended the war on jihadi terror rather than just losing one campaign? Tip to Instapundit.
The headline that Israel "apparently" violated the laws of war by striking an apartment building does not match the facts. That conclusion relies on knowing nothing more than the fact that Israel struck an apartment building. Saying this is a war crime requires you to assume it is a purely civilian target. But the strike is fully legal if, as the Israelis say, Hamas was "using the buildings for military purposes and turning their occupants into human shields[.]" Did Hamas let that Human Rights Watch closely examine the building? Saying HRW "found no evidence" of Hamas using the building for military purposes is not the same as saying HRW investigated. Looking at what Hamas lets them see or looking at news videos is not an investigation. Does HRW even want to investigate rather than assume Israel is guilty until proven innocent? Despite the fact that Israel has a track record of trying to reduce civilian casualties while Hamas has a track record of using buildings for military terrorist purposes and using civilians as human shields? I have no reason to trust HRW.
The Chinese Communist Party may find it doesn't have enough people to man its modernized security forces: "A critical problem is that future generations of well-educated Chinese recruits will be smaller and less eager to choose a military career. The key problem is that too many young Chinese cannot afford to marry and raise more than one child. [para] ... China has become increasingly alarmed at the impact of its 'one-child' policy and its inability to keep things from getting worse. " To be fair, I assume the CCP would prefer to use robots instead of unreliable humans who may resist social credit score control and turn against their CCP masters. I've been on this demographic problem behind the GDP-growth headlines for some time.
Even as reporters are finally asking hard questions to the president over his Afghanistan debacle, it is instructive to see the reporters still being polite and orderly in contrast to their rowdy behavior when Trump actually answered questions. Still, that was a fleeting moment of lucidity before the White House could whip them into line to believe them rather than your lying eyes. I fear our lying eyes will see a lot worse before this is over if our enemies bombard the Kabul airfield and shoot down planes trying to take off. Brush up on Dien Bien Phu for a taste of what we may yet experience.
Another story explaining AIS (Automated Identification System) issues and recent Russian efforts to manipulate the signals for reasons that elude me while assuming their sanity.
The idea that America can bomb the equipment we left behind in Afghanistan is a fantasy. By the time it is safe to do that--assuming the Taliban and jihadis allow us to pull out smoothly--the equipment will be scattered and/or surrounded by human shields.
Yes, watch for the jihadi infiltrators during the evacuation.
Biden didn't end the Afghanistan war. He ended a major campaign in the global war on jihadi terrorism: "When participants in the worldwide Salafist-jihadist movement look at the developments of the last week, they don’t see reasons to quit their mayhem. They see the chaos, panic, violence, disorder, and American retreat as a vindication of their ideology and a spur to further action." As the author goes over, the fall of Saigon in 1975 encouraged communists around the world and the retreat from Iraq in 2011 spurred the rise of ISIL. Yes, America recovered from both needless shots into our own foot. But it could be an ugly 5 years until we do recover. If we in fact recover this time without major enemy victories in our danger zone of weakened credibility.
For some reason the term "fucking morons"leaps to mind: "As a reminder, here’s what 70 so-called Republican national security officials said when endorsing Biden in August 2020: 'We believe Joe Biden has the character, experience, and temperament to lead this nation. We believe he will restore the dignity of the presidency, bring Americans together, reassert America’s role as a global leader, and inspire our nation to live up to its ideals.'" On the bright side, a future Republican president has a list of people who should never serve in a Republican administration. To be fair, Biden is proving to be as competent as those 70 endorsers. Tip to Instapundit.
The terrorist group situation in Afghanistan is a complex mosaic. But: "Besides the Taliban themselves, the most significant beneficiary of recent events is al Qaeda. As we approach the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks on the United States, the jihadist group is in a position to regenerate its networks throughout South Asia. In particular, al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) will benefit from the Taliban’s ascendance." Will the Taliban 2.0 really suppress al Qaeda this time? The Taliban is divided enough to have al Qaeda fanboys within its ranks who would resist that as-of-now theoretical goal. And even if the Taliban want to do that, do they have the power to do so? Smart Diplomacy® is awesome. Still, no mean tweets.
While Japan is buying the American 5th generation F-35, Japan is working to build its own 6th generation fighter, dubbed "Godzilla." Quality will matter a lot in a war against China on a narrow front. That initial article also summarizes the characteristics of jet generations.
What if American forces can't get all of the Americans out of Afghanistan before the Taliban call an end to this slow-motion humiliation of America? Will Democrats argue it is a blessing, really, when those Americans would just have to come home to face death from white supremacists and global warming?
The difference between not winning a war and losing a war: "For the past two decades, 'winning hearts and minds' was the fundamental strategy of triumph in the war on terror. Today, it is clear that breaking hearts and minds is the strategy of surrender in that fight."
Well sure, China's project to add 250 ICBMs that can reach America will act to deter and constrain American actions. But those missiles can reach Russia, too. Russia has escalated its doctrine for nuclear use to deter territorial losses. So China has more incentive to really be focused on Russia, as I noted regarding another article on China's nuclear missile expansion: "The article highlights America as a potential threat. But America isn't going to nuke China over Taiwan. However, Russia might not be appeasing China any more in five short years. If China decides that is the time to make a move on parts of Russia's Far East, China doesn't want Russia to be able to threaten massive nuclear strikes on China. So China had best start preparing for that day, eh? For the record, I doubt that China's nuclear arsenal is as small as we think it is." Remember where China's "century of humiliation" continues.
It has been bewildering to a lot of people to see our Turing Test POTUS flailing about defending his policy as the best possible plan that his team designed that he had no choice in implementing because of the Bad Orange Man. Truly, his speeches and utterances have been horrifying. But are we making a major mistake in thinking Biden is doing this? What if Biden's cabinet members and staff who designed this policy are simply putting words in front of Biden in order to deflect blame from the forces behind the curtain to the front man in a suit?
I think American power has more reach in Kabul than in Portland. Antifa doesn't think the Taliban should have all the fun in this new summer of love.
I'm actually jealous of Canadians. Their leader Justin Trudeau is a woke joke. But at least Trudeau is deliberately saying stupid things, in contrast to our meat sack POTUS.
It looks like China exported its virus and dictatorial instincts to Australia: "The country is included in the group of western democracies globally and among the Five Eyes intelligence community members. Yet, the nation’s response to the pandemic can only be described as authoritarian." Seriously, WTF Australia. Have you gone mad? Your reputation in America used to be pretty bad ass based on Crocodile Dundee, Foster's commercials, and a vague awareness that you like Marmite. A reputation for arresting people for leaving their homes and for shooting dogs is not what your tourism bureau needs. Not that America can't follow. I can only report with horror that (tip to Instapundit) nearly half of our public is ignorant and badly in need of instruction on our Constitution and our freedoms.
I lived through and remember the needless fall of Saigon and South Vietnam, as well as the inflation of the late 1970s and early 1980s. And now we have the needless fall of Kabul and Afghanistan, as well as the re-ignition of inflation with insane spending levels. Here's hoping we all live through this period to see the re-birth of American confidence with economic growth and strength in the face of enemies.
Biden is back in the White House just in time for yet another fake "recovery summer!" All he had to do was get out of the way of the American people. But no.
Afghan troops weren't unwilling to fight. They were unable to fight because of lack of American support. The fact that 50,000 died in the last 7 years with our support while fighting the Taliban should have been a clue. Are the same people now saying Afghan security forces wouldn't fight the same people warning that the past rate of Afghan security force casualties was unsustainable?
Don't hobble your economy and your economy won't hobble. Tip to Instapundit.
Yes, American geography means we have the framework to recover from the our defeat in Afghanistan. Unlike the Afghan government which basically held the cities and so had no depth to fall back and regroup once Biden cut off the support their military relied on. But I strongly disagree with the idea that Iraq was a defeat. How that victory is overlooked so easily astounds me. But our leadership needs to improve. Although perhaps even good leaders are doomed in the byzantine bureaucracy we have accumulated since World War II. Truly, the Afghanistan debacle symbolizes its failure despite more than ample resources that have flooded its corridors. A transformation of our very structure to adapt will take place over the next decade. So strap in and brace yourself until we resolve our issues.
Not only are adults not in charge of America, the people who advise the president aren't adults.
I'm all in favor of trying to split Russia away from China. But granting favors to Russia that ignore Russia's past hostility against European allies and friends, as this author thinks is a proper basis, is a bad idea and won't work. It won't work as long as Russia is too afraid of Chinese latent but for-now-muted threats to reclaim Russian Far East territory. So no, that author's article won't one day be a seminal article.
It never fails to impress me how ex-felons are natural supporters of Democratic politicians.
Ford is getting ready to sail with the fleet. I have long had issues with the carrier and concept.
When you see how much some of our ruling class hates Americans, do you wonder why Trump has gotten such support?
Republicans pounce on weaponize Democratic clusterfuck. Maybe Republicans wouldn't "pounce" if the media treated Democrats like it treats Republicans.
Huh: "The lightning-fast changes in Afghanistan are forcing the Biden administration to confront the prospect of a resurgent al-Qaida, the group that attacked America on Sept. 11, 2001[.]" I could have sworn all the smart people in the White House told us we no longer had a reason to secure Afghanistan. Also, "changes in Afghanistan"? You mean the debacle of losing Afghanistan needlessly? Is that the change you are talking about? FFS.
Are we already at the point of Biden's Afghanistan defeat when the Taliban rub our nose in our defeat? "The Taliban, who have a notorious history of oppression and violence toward women, are poised to seat a representative on the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women should they form a recognized Afghan government, a former U.N. ambassador says."
I hope the vice president is fine, but this hardly inspires confidence abroad. The woke effed up California.
To be fair, they could ef up a wet dream. Tip to Instapundit.
I'm just going to say it. I'm not outraged at the money we spent in Afghanistan. I'm outraged that losing the war means it was almost completely wasted. I say almost because losing today later might be better than losing twenty years ago. Maybe we are better prepared to fight jihadis at home. Or maybe 20 years of media expansion just makes our defeat more publicized. Time will tell. I'm not upset at the money because in a war money is ammunition. And we have a huge country and a huge budget. Even $100 billion per year seems almost pocket change the way our leaders are throwing money around these days. God forbid that the $3.5 trillion faux-infrastructure bill is enacted. Sure, some of the money spent in Afghanistan is an obvious outrage. But coping with the corruption generally meant we had to accept some losses from locals as the price of the effects or not spend the money at all. If we'd not lost, that reality would have been something to work on but no reason to throw the war. But by losing the war, the money spent over two decades all looks like a waste.
I certainly hope our military--especially our ground forces--is finally alarmed enough about Russian and Chinese electronic warfare capabilities to do something about it. I do recall being alarmed in the 1970s when I read about Army chaos when occasionally exercising under electronic warfare attack. Can we count on escaping that weakness in the future the way we did in the Cold War? "Another lesson learned during the Cold War was that you go to war with the forces you have, not the ones you are developing for use sometime in the future."
Après l'amérique, le déluge. In the last data dump I noted that NATO could not stay in Afghanistan to protect their interests without American help. The British did try: "Britain responded to Biden’s decision by putting together an alternative coalition to hold the balance, but it was impossible without U.S. logistical support." Via Instapundit.
Jen Rubin is not the only person who Trump broke. Sadly, even with Trump out of office, the damage is likely to last a lifetime. But I'm sure she's happy in her new role as Democratic Party "goodlife."
Don't talk to me about less-capable frigates when the cost--so far--is nearly a billion bucks a copy and we are only building 20. The Constellation-class is a capable multi-mission ship that only lacks the range and depth of action of a single larger Burke destroyer. Losing one Burke is a big deal. To make up for that we really need lots of frigates to reduce the effects of losing single ships. The Constellation does not appear to be that. Rather than a high-low mix we have a high-medium mix.
Huh: "'People are furious and disgusted,' said a former U.S. intelligence official who declined to be quoted by name. A defense official said he grew nauseated as he considered how many Afghan allies would be left behind." For all that fury and disgust, none of them leaked about the disaster to stop it. None came out as "whistle blowers" to stop it. None signed a letter of protest with may others equally furious and disgusted before the disaster unfolded. Nobody at the top publicly resigned to reverse the stupidity. So spare me their anguish now. Put out a weepy-sounding hashtag to signal your virtue as the woke taught you.
American woke scum can only wish they had this kind of cancel culture power: "This is the moment an Afghan comedian continued mocking the Taliban as fighters from the insurgent group dragged him away from his home before later executing him by firing squad." That is brave Resistance to tyranny. Via Instapundit.
America suffered nearly 2,500 dead fighting in Afghanistan over nearly 20 years. That broke our will to fight, it seems. America suffered close to twice that just at one place on June 6, 1944. Yes, defeating the Nazis was a bigger objective. We'll see if the objectives in Afghanistan were truly so much less important that we could not continue to hold the place with few casualties and few troops committed.
I've noted the ominous coincidence that Kabul international airport is KIA. To be fair, the official abbreviation is KBL.
Huh. That's new to me: "A trio of B-2s from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., arrived in Iceland on
Aug. 24, ahead of a Bomber Task Force mission in which they will conduct
training across Europe and Africa." Does Iceland have the special shelters found in Missouri, Guam, and Diego Garcia to sustain the bombers in action? Or is this only a quick staging deployment with maintenance capabilities minimal for brief missions? Because Russia's base complexes around the Kola Peninsula and Baltic are sure tempting targets in case of war.
I've always kind of enjoyed forcing navigation to recalculate the route when I deviate from its directions. Nor do I add data to streaming services by liking or disliking what I watch to get recommendations. On the other hand, I often feel compelled to listen to the voices in my head telling me to hurt myself. So it's a wash, I suppose. But perhaps I've shared too much.
Why yes, boast about how fast and vast your humiliating retreat from Afghanistan is.
I'd be comforted if this administration was brazenly lying to avoid accountability. But I fear they are actually inept enough to believe this crap.
A hate crime that isn't newsworthy. Tip to Instapundit.
From the "Well, Duh" files which Biden apparently doesn't read: "Al Qaeda is not gone from Afghanistan. And now that the Taliban are the unquestioned rulers of the country, Al Qaeda once again has friends in high places."
I expected Afghan resistance to the Taliban to form in the north. It is: "The fledgling anti-Taliban resistance in Afghanistan's unconquered
Panjshir province is reportedly growing, but it's so far been unable to
find any takers in its appeal for international support, The New York Times reports." Let's hope it managed to grab weapons and equipment from the government's bases when it fell. And let's hope when our hostage crisis in Afghanistan is over our intelligence services will provide that support. It ain't over until the Panjshir Lady sings.
At its 30th independence day anniversary, Ukraine vowed to reclaim territory that Russia annexed.
Am I wrong to assume that the Taliban will get this money as part of the price not to interfere with our retreat from Afghanistan? "The Taliban may have seized control of Afghanistan - but for now, the group can't access the nearly $10 billion in reserves in the country's central bank, most of which is reportedly held by the Federal Reserve Bank in New York." Of course, that's a best-case scenario at this point.
Fighting for rule of law is not just for foreign Third World countries.
Building Army ground-based anti-cruise missile and anti-drone defenses. While fine for bases and higher echelons, I still think we need drone combat air patrols for the tip of the spear, as I advocated in Army magazine.
China is getting more aggressive in their unlawful territorial claims in the South China Sea. There is a reaction: " While the Philippines admits it cannot stand up to China in a war, they can use Chinese tactics and disrupt Chinese military and civilian operations in the South China Sea. Other nations suffering from the Chinese aggression are similarly fed up and going Chinese on the Chinese."
Acting East: "In the South China Sea Filipino and Indian warships carried out joint training exercises. Five days earlier the two Indian warships had carried out similar training with Vietnamese warships off the Vietnamese coast. India has become a more active part of the growing coalition of nations opposing Chinese claims on the South China Sea." Background.
The Navy's floating mobile homes.
The LCS will be the backbone of the Navy's forward presence. Is the ship lethal or lousy? Well, the important thing is that the marginally adequate ship is expendable. As that article explains about the LCS out there, "But if it is reliable, it could be effective in showing the US flag and freeing up more capable platforms like destroyers and cruisers for more vital missions, Herzinger and other analysts said." Sucks to be a tripwire.
Japan and Taiwan are strengthening ties. Taiwan needs all the help it can get to repel China while Japan needs Taiwan to help secure its sea lines of communication south.
Our future friend and nuclear deal buddies, mullah-run Iran.
Enshrining election rigging in plain sight. Tip to Instapundit. It's the same old thing:
Whatever wokeness touches turns to sh*t. In case you went off suicide watch after watching Biden's Afghanistan debacle unfold.
From the "Well, Duh" files: "Israel reduced the amount of intelligence it shared with the US this spring as then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not trust President Joe Biden's administration, The New York Times reported." Why would Israel want to be thrown under the bus by Biden in order to reach out to the love of his life?
Building on the success of telling Putin what American targets should not by cyber-attacked, the Biden administration tries it again with death on the line (tip to PJ Media): "U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American
citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the
militant-controlled outer perimeter of the city’s airport, a choice
that's prompted outrage behind the scenes from lawmakers and military
officials." Getting people to help us will be no problem going forward, eh? I'm hoping this news is an error in reporting. Although the media rarely makes a mistake that puts a Democrat in such a bad light.
The Afghanistan Taliban victory will strengthen the Pakistan Taliban who try to overthrow Pakistan's government. Not because the Afghan Taliban likes the Pakistan Taliban, but because America and allied Afghan government forces used to strike them. That's over. I worry because Pakistan has nukes. And while it would be bad for a jihadi group to get nukes, it is even worse if a country with nukes is taken over by jihadis. I sure hope we have a plan for that scenario.
The sailor shortage for the ships that bring all of us our stuff.
Smart Diplomacy®: "Two months ago, the European media and political leaders who had been hostile to Donald Trump celebrated Joe Biden and his “America is back” rhetoric. Now, the celebration is over. Instead, they are fretting over migration and terrorism. They worry how Beijing and Moscow may try to exploit U.S. weakness. And they wonder if they can ever trust this Administration again." It's bad enough that NATO is weakened. But the European Union will try to exploit that. And God help us, it could get worse or even catastrophic.
The idea that the very fact of American withdrawal would cause the collapse of the Afghan government was well established all year. I was worried. Not that I predicted collapse. But I was very worried. Yet perhaps foolishly I clung to hope because I remained in denial about Biden's ability to guarantee defeat by not doing nearly enough. So remember that Afghanistan didn't build that debacle. The Biden administration did.
I know some Republicans are worried that getting rid of Biden just leaves us with Kamala Harris as president. But I'm thinking that it is better to get rid of Biden for two reasons. One, gross incompetence and disability should be punished and dealt with. Two, Biden's handlers are effed things up so bad that the stench of his failures racked up in only 8 months will linger on her and make reelection very difficult.
Good news: "With the Taliban growing more violent and adding checkpoints near Kabul's airport, an all-volunteer group of American veterans of the Afghan war launched a final daring mission on Wednesday night dubbed the 'Pineapple Express' to shepherd hundreds of at-risk Afghan elite forces and their families to safety, members of the group told ABC News."
Well, the Biden administration has already set the standard of abandoning an unpopular allied ruler of a dysfunctional state: "Vice President Kamala Harris has canceled plans to stump for California Gov. Gavin Newsom amid a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, the governor's campaign confirmed Thursday." Tip to Instapundit.
If Ukrainians needed a reminder on their 30th year of independence from the Russians/Soviets, they discovered a mass grave for Stalin's victims.
We have nothing to fear but pandemic panic port itself. Work the damn problem. Don't surrender to it. And obviously, if your or your family risks are higher you take different steps than I do. Total respect for that. Tip to Instapundit.
Cleanup in Aisle 1600: "Word out of the White House this week is that Joe Biden, or at least his
handlers, intend to recapture the narrative on his colossal Afghan exit
screw-up. Good luck with that tardy effort."
Here's hoping Hurricane Ida misses New Orleans by the time this post is published.
So what if Biden's people sent Vice President Harris abroad to deny her a chance to organize a 25th Amendment removal of Biden? Biden's people are clueless abroad, but they are ruthless political operators. Perhaps by the time Harris returns there will be a Kamala pee tape fabricated. (I kid on the last part. Or should I?)
News from Friday: "'U.S. military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism
operation today against an ISIS-K planner,' said Capt. Bill Urban,
spokesman for U.S. Central Command, in a statement." The Taliban doesn't mind that America hits a rival. So there was no problem conducting the strike while our troops are still on the ground. I imagine that the Taliban also didn't mind the ISIS-K attack that killed 10 Marines, 2 Army soldiers, and a Navy corpsman. It was a useful warning shot for what could happen if America doesn't skedaddle by the time the Taliban said we have to leave. And they both do hate us, after all. But there are "separate" jihadi groups that the Taliban clearly embrace. So perhaps the Taliban gave us a list of who not to strike. Lists are all the rage in the Biden administration, after all.
This is not "aid": "The United States is taking steps to allow humanitarian work to continue in Afghanistan despite U.S. sanctions on the Taliban, which seized power 11 days ago." This is ransom to not kill the Americans who "choose not to leave" Afghanistan before American troops have to leave Kabul airport: "The Taliban deployed extra forces around Kabul's airport Saturday to prevent large crowds from gathering after a devastating suicide attack two days earlier, as the massive U.S.-led airlift wound down ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline."
How often have I said that it is a crime against language to think "liberal minded" is a synonym for "open minded"? So yeah:
The troubled, late, but vital Russian submarine construction.
Adjust your Newspeak Dictionary accordingly: "If you’re at Brandeis University and want to tell someone they’re “killing it” or to follow a “rule of thumb,” you better bite your tongue. [para] The phrases, among many others, are considered violent according to a recently expanded 'suggested language list' put together by the Prevention, Advocacy and Resource Center at the Waltham university."
American ships waved to China: "A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer and Coast Guard cutter steamed through the Taiwan Strait on Friday, continuing monthly transits of warships through sensitive waters off China’s mainland, the Navy said in a news release."
Why I hate the media, part N+1: How the media lied to imply 901 Floridians died of the Xi Jinping Flu in one day. That day's total may be as low as 8. Layers and layers of fact checkers, indeed. Tip to Instapundit.
Putin loudly proclaims an image of Russian naval revitalization: "Speaking in a video call, Putin gave orders for two nuclear submarines armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles along with two diesel-powered submarines and two corvettes at shipyards in Severodvinsk, St. Petersburg and Komsomolsk-on-Amur." But nuclear missile subs, conventional subs, and small surface warships give away the game. Russia is building a fleet designed to protect a sea-based nuclear deterrent and protect Russia's vast coastline. Which is wise, because Russia does not need and cannot afford a blue water navy.
Ouch:
It took four years of relentless propaganda to demonize Trump. And a year of relentless propaganda to simulate lucidity in Biden. It is a damning record of election interference to give America the catastrophe we behold: "Seven months into the Biden regime, the truism that dare not speak its name is now almost too obvious to bear stating. It was a catastrophic error to evict Donald Trump. No one, and certainly not I, would try to whitewash the stylistic infelicities of Donald Trump. He said many things that were toe-curlingly embarrassing coming from the holder of so great an office. But he proved in government as he had in the private sector that he was capable and forceful, and although he had the terrible handicap of personalizing everything and escalating all disagreements, he had a clear conception of domestic and foreign national interests and pursued them very successfully." Throughout 2019, I believed that a Biden nomination would be a signal the Democrats expected to lose in 2020. That they would not want to waste a real candidate. Then the pandemic and the crazed lockdowns paved the way for Trump's loss. So we got the throw-away sacrificial goat as our Turing Test POTUS. They say that which does not kill you makes you stronger. Pray Biden doesn't kill us.
Remember that the Afghanistan government that the Soviets left behind was equipped with heavy armor to allow Afghan resupply convoys to bull through opposition to supply forces in isolated bases. That government lasted three years after the Soviets withdrew in good order. America was unable to withdraw before our Afghanistan government collapsed. But we built Afghan resupply around airlift. And before we left we crippled the air power of the Afghan government making resupply--or any kind of air support--impossible to sustain. Strategery.
Ten Marines, 2 Army soldiers, and a Navy corpsman died in the Kabul suicide bombing. Eighteen personnel were wounded. Plus a lot more casualties among civilians.
No, we did not manage to plant a rule-of-law democracy in Afghanistan. But we gave them an opportunity for something better than they had. After twenty years of freedom from jihadi cruelty and opportunities beyond imagination before we came, will the Afghan people be easy to rule by the Taliban? My hope is that a taste of freedom and hope for the future will one day return Afghanistan to a path to eventual better days without producing and hosting jihadi killers."A
Iran continues to back their local Houthi proxies in the Yemen civil war: "A missile and drone attack on a key military base in Yemen’s south on Sunday killed at least 30 troops, a Yemeni military spokesman said. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the country's civil war in recent years."
Feeling cocky after recent events? "Iran and Syria vowed on Sunday to take 'mighty steps' to confront U.S. sanctions imposed on the two regional allies, saying their relations will strengthen under Iran’s new leadership." And keep in mind that Assad, having gotten Iran's help to survive the multi-war, wants Iran out of Syria at this point. Does Assad think Iran is a strong horse now?
Everybody is a globalist progressive policy wonk if you are patient enough: "Joe Biden apparently thinks, or says he thinks, the Taliban will make nice because it is in their interest to do so." Like I wrote a couple weeks ago: "It's almost cutely naive that our State Department thinks Taliban terror to intimidate their enemies into silence and surrender can be swayed by this nonsense: 'We condemn the Taliban's violent new offensive against Afghan cities,' the U.S. Embassy said. 'These Taliban actions to forcibly impose its rule are unacceptable and contradict its claim to support a negotiated settlement in the Doha peace process. They demonstrate wanton disregard for the welfare and rights of civilians and will worsen this country's humanitarian crisis.' Yeah, the 'peace process' is clearly not a Taliban priority. It's as if State believes the Taliban want to be invited to international catered conferences more than they want victory[.] The Taliban are smart enough to know that victory will get them the invitations." The White House is sending out the invitations even as we retreat.
The mean tweets are starting to be seen as the price of doing successful business: "As the Afghanistan debacle has unfolded, I have been following the coverage in various foreign newspapers. The coverage I have seen has been harshly critical of the Biden administration, to a degree that more or less equals what we see in the conservative press here in the U.S." Tip to Instapundit.
I call it a success when repeated beatings with the clue bat can have an effect: "The vast majority of [George Mason University] students who said they voted for or supported Biden’s nomination expressed regret for supporting him. One student said, 'He’s failed a lot on a lot of his promises'. Another, speaking on Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, called it a 'disaster.'" Although I imagine they'll vote for a different Democrat convinced that with just a little bit more woke leftism it will work out great.
Much of the arsenal America abandoned to the Taliban doesn't worry me. The same Afghan government corruption that made it difficult to keep the big pieces of equipment in action will affect the Taliban. And it will take place more quickly without outside financial and logistics support. For the smaller weapons, corruption will send a lot of that out to drug dealers, resistance, and rival jihadis in Afghanistan and neighboring states that pay. Hell, our CIA could probably buy a lot of it. But enemy countries aren't likely to be interested in any of it for intelligence purposes--assuming such countries didn't buy copies even before the Taliban take-over. Not that this dispersal is necessarily good, but it will not be a Taliban arsenal for long. I worry more about specialist gear like night vision goggles and sniper rifles which could make terrorists more lethal. Or artillery ammunition that could be taken apart for explosives to build terrorist IEDs.
Our own medieval turn. It's not just for Islamist nutballs. You will be made to believe: "Hysteria has become 'the business model of the neoliberal age' as one writer aptly put it. In this environment, even supposed devotees of 'science' often adopt attitudes which resemble Inquisitors more than empiricists, marginalizing dissenters and even threatening them with jail, dispossession, humiliation, or just public obliteration."
There will be some ugliness in Kabul after we evacuate our troops. Assuming we get out cleanly. Never say it can't get worse at Kabul. Wait. What? There might be a UN resolution? "France, Britain and Germany are working on a United Nations proposal
aimed at establishing a safe zone in Kabul to allow safe passage for
people trying to leave Afghanistan, French President Emmanuel Macron
said on Sunday." Well never mind my worries, then! Still, with enough money given to the Taliban leaders I'm sure the Taliban will be happy to at least pretend to allow safe passage. Until they are tired of pretending.
I know stories can't include everything, but there is nothing in this story about prepositioning supplies and troops at the edges of the impact zone to react to Hurricane Ida once it passes through. Surely this can't be a looming debacle, too, can it?
Some good jihadis and a sign of things to come when we fight jihadis from "over the horizon": "A U.S. drone strike blew up a vehicle carrying “multiple suicide bombers” from Afghanistan's Islamic State affiliate on Sunday before they could attack the ongoing military evacuation at Kabul's international airport, American officials said. An Afghan official said three children were killed in the strike." Good that we made some good jihadis and protected for withdrawal. But the dead children will be enemy propaganda whether it happens or not every time we strike. I assume the "Afghan official" is Taliban, at this point.
Please excuse my repeated bitter bewilderment regarding the sheer incompetence of the Biden administration being displayed with the whole Afghanistan debacle. I regularly cycle through fury and depression at what I am witnessing in Afghanistan and in our Washington, D.C. government press conferences. Lions led by donkeys. And the donkeys are in civilian and military attire. Pray for the lions at the pointy end of the stick trying to retrieve something positive from the jaws of defeat. This year I will not fly the American flag on Patriot's Day. Maybe next year if it looks like America is again serious about fighting jihadis and preventing another 9/11. Pray for all of us.
