Unpredictable consequences from the Afghan crisis

• Author: SETH J. FRANTZMAN
• Published date: 15 August 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

This means that what is happening has unforeseen consequences. There are many unanswered questions. The New York Times claims that "few will gang up on the U.S. for finally stopping a failed enterprise." But in the longer term, "the notion that you cannot count on the Americans will strike deeper roots because of Afghanistan.'' This may underpin some European reactions, according to the article. What is more perplexing is that other NATO members, including European countries, also withdrew from Afghanistan and yet, oddly, this doesn't erode confidence in whether anyone can count on NATO or European countries. The unspoken point may be that no one was counting on NATO or European states anyway, so it was America's war to lose.

There are many arguments floating around now about whether things had to turn out this way in Afghanistan. An article at The Dispatch by Paul Miller argues it didn't have to end like this. The US could have kept training the Afghan army until it was ready to fight. They could have given Kabul more leverage in discussions with the Taliban.

It's hard to know. Many countries appear to be rushing...