Staff Reports
The Biden administration is quickly becoming the joke of the international stage, with allies reportedly shaking their heads over America’s deteriorating credibility. The withdrawal from Afghanistan has not only emboldened enemy forces but created a massive vacuum of power that’s been filled—surprise, surprise—by terrorists. The Washington Examiner’s series, aptly titled “Lost Authority,” sheds light on how the great American strategic blunder has shaken the very foundations of U.S. power abroad, especially in hot spots like the Middle East and Ukraine.
Three years post-Afghan pullout, anyone who believed that removing troops would lead to peace in the region must be watching with a bowl of popcorn in hand. The U.S. vacated the battlefield, handing control back to the Taliban and facilitating the rise of the Islamic State in the area. Although ISIS doesn’t control nearly the territory it did a decade ago, the organization’s affiliates are spreading their tentacles like an octopus. They’re conducting attacks and encouraging lone-wolf operations throughout the West—yes, contrary to popular belief, retreating isn’t synonymous with winning.
Lost Authority: ISIS threat growing in Afghanistan under limited US pressure
@dcexaminer https://t.co/ebar5XhXZQ
— Tim Gradous (@tgradous) August 30, 2024
With the Abbey Gate bombing in 2021 serving as a parade of incompetence, defense officials are left clutching their over-the-horizon capabilities. The promise that America could wage combat remotely turned into a punchline, punctuated by a sole strike announced since the chaotic withdrawal. If the Pentagon’s strategy hinges on “futuristic” warfare while lacking real-time intelligence on the ground, it sounds like a sci-fi movie plot gone wrong. Critics, including retired generals, have openly mocked the feasibility of this method, claiming it’s effectively as good as sending carrier pigeons into enemy territory.
When the Taliban took over Afghanistan, they defined “counterterrorism” like some folks define “exercise”—a half-hearted approach that usually leads to more chips and dips than actual work. Leading military minds have pointed out that the insurgents have not demonstrated the capability or desire to keep militants like ISIS-K at bay. So, instead of a clear strategy, America’s enemies are rearming and regrouping, all while the U.S. twiddles its thumbs from a safe distance, hoping nobody notices the train wreck about to happen.
This new decentralized landscape of terrorism, as the Pentagon describes it, sounds a lot like “pass the buck.” American leadership is banking on regional partners to pick up the slack and tackle the growing threats, which is laughably reminiscent of asking a toddler to babysit. Despite supposedly having the world’s best intelligence apparatus, with enough analysts to fill a stadium, the U.S. recently witnessed tragic terrorist events abroad that pundits are now saying could have been thwarted. The reality is that allies and rogues alike are picking up on U.S. weakness, and the rumbles of future attacks are becoming a certainty.
As if the picture wasn’t grim enough, the Pentagon is simultaneously warning that ISIS could double its attacks this year. As U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria figure out how to transition their military mission while staying a step ahead of the resurgent ISIS, Gen. Kurilla’s ominous prediction looms like a dark cloud: if American troops leave too soon, the rise of ISIS could redefine chaos in the region—all because of a failed foreign policy strategy that has turned hope into a punchline.
