WTF: Happened in Afghanistan?
The past week, we’ve all been watching scenes from Afghanistan in horror. After a 20 year presence, American forces departed as the Taliban took over the country with breathtaking speed. Many of you have asked me to explain what happened. There are so many angles to tell this story - we could talk about the humanitarian aspect, which in my view is the most dire. My heart breaks for the allies who risked their lives to work with us whom we have now left behind, and the countless young girls and women now in harm's way. We could talk about what went wrong, or why we were even there to begin with. We could talk about the corruption - both on the part of the Afghan government but also on our part, the military industrial complex that continues to drive our foreign policy. All these are important yet remarkably complex topics that are beyond the scope of what I can offer. But I will say, in the coming weeks, as you see blame being passed around, do your own homework rather than for one sided explanations. Be wary of simple answers, because if one thing is for sure, this is far from simple.
In this WTF video, I won’t cover what’s happening right now. There are plenty of journalists doing great work breaking that down for us (Mosheh is one that I recommend following for that). I’ve decided to focus on what I do best - the history. See, most accounts you will find on the US in Afghanistan start with 9/11, but in reality, it goes back way farther than that. I am going to tell you the story of the Mujahedin.
Below is the transcript from WTF: Happened in Afghanistan?
On August 15th, armed Taliban fighters entered the Presidential Palace in Kabul. But there was no bloodshed - the President of the friendly government we had supported had already fled the country. While those of us abroad were shocked, it’s not that surprising when you take a look at the long history of Afghanistan, a country which foreign powers have tried and failed over centuries to conquer.
Our story begins in 1979, when a group of local insurgents known as the Mujahideen launched a guerilla war to overthrow the wildly unpopular communist government. Now, 1970s? Communist? That should give you a clue as to where we’re going with this - if you thought Cold War - you’re right. And, you better believe that the Soviets and Americans got involved. Concerned that the government would turn to the Americans under the pressure of the insurgency, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, assassinated the leader and replaced him with a more “loyal” one. The Soviet-Afghan War lasted 9 years, during which the Americans played a quiet but crucial role. The CIA program, code named Operation Cyclone, was one of the longest and most expensive covert CIA operations ever undertaken. More than $20 billion in U.S. funds was funneled into the country via Pakistan to train and arm Afghan resistance groups. Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China and the UK also supplied weapons and resources.
The international community - Western and Arab nations included - was by and large opposed to the Soviet Invasion. They issued resolutions, sanctions, boycotts. It took a while, but eventually the Soviet’s capitulated and withdrew in Feb 1989. The Berlin Wall fell in November, and the Soviet Union collapsed. So, you could say it was a pretty bad year for them. The Americans, on the other hand, were quite pleased with this outcome. What they didn’t know at the time was how it would come back to bite them.
Following Soviet departure, the Mujahedin established a government. But it didn’t last very long, as different factions within tore it apart. One of those factions was led by a former mujahideen commander, who broke away and formed the Taliban. Amidst the chaos, Afghanistan became a safe haven for Islamic extremist groups across the Middle East, many of whom joined the Taliban and took control of most of the country.
The US relationship with Afghanistan for the next few years was tense, to say the least. The US refused to recognize the radical Islamist government and rather considered the Northern Alliance, a tiny stronghold in the north that maintained a resistance to the Taliban to be the legitimate government. Interestingly enough, as of now, that province remains the only part of the country not to fall to the Taliban in this recent takeover.
To add insult to injury, there was this guy called Osama bin Laden hiding out in Afghanistan plotting bad shit like the 1998 US Embassy bombing, starting Al Qaeda, and issuing fatawa’s, which is basically a declaration of war, against us. Needless to say, the Americans were less than pleased when the Taliban refused to kick him out, citing their pashtunwali code of ethics that guests be offered sanctuary.
Then came 9/11. And that changed everything. The US invaded Afghanistan with a dual mission to kill bin Laden and other Al Qaeda as well as remove the Taliban from power. Which lasted until, well, now.
Now that I’ve brought you up to speed (the spark notes version), you can begin to look into the next 20 years that followed. There’s a lot of information out there, and I encourage you to learn as much as you can.
But, we have lots of time to learn, debate, and determine where our votes lie when it comes to foreign policy. Right now however, there are people in Afghanistan who desperately need our help. These are people who risked their lives for us, who worked alongside us, who believed in and trusted us and we have a moral obligation not to turn our backs on them.
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Find volunteer opportunities in your area. Can you offer temporary housing? airport pick ups? assemble care packages?
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Future Brilliance has worked with over 100 Afghan women and artisans across the country to deliver training in digital literacy, artisanal jewelry making, co-operative development and business skills.
These young female entrepreneurs are now in grave danger as they have been targeted by the Taliban.
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LEARN
Mosheh Oinounou: Breaks down the top news story, provides context, balanced and fair reporting, shows various perspectives
You Can’t Build Others’ Nations: Nathan Gardels argues that Biden is right to stick to his lack of guns in Afghanistan and think strategically about protecting the liberal order where it still exists in Noema Magazine. (full disclosure: I work there)
We Failed Afghanistan, Not the Other Way Around: In my opinion, one of the most important articles you’ll read. Covers the tyranny of the military industrial complex and why we don’t go to war for the reasons we think we do.
Afghanistan is Not Vietnam: As someone who has grown up with a family who experienced this conflict first hand, I appreciated my friend for writing this piece. This is not to say that one is/was worse than the other, but rather, to highlight the fact that these are two completely different conflicts, in different countries with different histories, cultures and stories. “To draw an analogy between Kabul and Saigon”, Jason writes, “is to see both situations solely through an American-centric lens that elides all the details and leaves a surface-level analogy of limited use except to generate clicks or score political points.”
