The American Withdrawal from Afghanistan: Consequences and Perspectives

Abstract

After twenty years of war against al-Qaida and the Taliban, the US and its allies have withdrawn from Afghanistan, causing much ink to flow, for the return to power in Kabul on Sunday 15 august 2021 and the runaway of President Ashraf Ghani have exposed all the flaws that explain the American fiasco in Afghanistan. The consequences of the withdrawal are numerous and various. In Afghanistan, desolation and disenchantment were the most common feelings among many Afghans, immediately after the fall of Kabul. The new measures taken by the new authorities such as the abolition of mixed classes in the education system and the attacks on certain civil society authorities, women, and journalists, show that many democratic gains are being questioned. In the United States, the debacle in Afghanistan has not only prompted much of the public to question the chaotic management of the war by U.S political authorities, but also prompted a call for them to come home and manage domestic affairs. The recognition of the new afghan authorities by China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran foreshadows geopolitical prospects in the sub-region. The ineffectiveness and uselessness of the use of force to instill democratic and peaceful values are lessons to be learned from American foreign policy.