Con Coughlin
- Putin is nothing if not an opportunist, and the images of American forces and their British allies struggling to contain the surging crowds at Kabul airport who were desperately trying to flee the country will have confirmed the Russian leader's view that, so long as Biden remained in power, he had nothing to fear from the US.
- By ordering US forces to withdraw from Afghanistan, Biden effectively gave Putin the green light to press ahead with his invasion plans.
- In every sense, the invasion of Ukraine started in Kabul, so much so that the Russian military build-up on the border with Ukraine prior to the invasion only got seriously underway after the August 2021 withdrawal.
- Now, thanks to the utter incompetence of the Biden administration's handling of the Afghan crisis, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and most urgently Taiwan all find themselves struggling to deal with the disastrous consequences of the Biden administration's ineffectual leadership.
- Had the warplanes been provided when President Volodymyr Zekensky first requested them at the end of last year, they may have arrived in time to make a calculable difference to the Ukrainian ground offensive, where a lack of effective air cover has slowed the Ukrainian advance.
- Biden's dithering over the issue, with the White House initially ruling out approving the transfer of the jets before eventually changing its mind, now means that it is highly unlikely the warplanes will be in action this year, by which time the Ukrainian offensive will have ended.
- Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who has told his army to "prepare for war", appears to have reached the same conclusion as Putin.
- In such circumstances, the Ukrainian people and the Taiwanese could be forgiven for believing that, just as happened in Afghanistan, Biden's inability to provide effective leadership on the world stage will simply result in them being abandoned to their fates
It is not just the beleaguered people of Afghanistan who are suffering as a result of US President Joe Biden's catastrophic decision to arbitrarily end America's military involvement in the country two years ago.
It is now abundantly clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to launch his brutal invasion of Ukraine was taken as a direct consequence of the weak leadership Biden displayed over his handling of the Afghan issue.
Putin is nothing if not an opportunist, and the images of American forces and their British allies struggling to contain the surging crowds at Kabul airport who were desperately trying to flee the country will have confirmed the Russian leader's view that, so long as Biden remained in power, he had nothing to fear from the US.
Six months later, the Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine as Putin sought to fulfil his ambition of restoring Russia to its former imperial glory.
By ordering US forces to withdraw from Afghanistan, Biden effectively gave Putin the green light to press ahead with his invasion plans.
In every sense, the invasion of Ukraine started in Kabul, so much so that the Russian military build-up on the border with Ukraine prior to the invasion only got seriously underway after the August 2021 withdrawal.
Consequently, when US intelligence finally concluded in early 2022 that the massive military build-up Russia was conducting close to Ukraine's borders was not, as Putin claimed, simply a training exercise but a full-strength invasion force, the White House's attempts to persuade Putin to back down came to nothing.
Now, thanks to the utter incompetence of the Biden administration's handling of the Afghan crisis, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and most urgently Taiwan all find themselves struggling to deal with the disastrous consequences of the Biden administration's ineffectual leadership.
In Afghanistan, the impact of Biden's withdrawal has been nothing short of devastating for the majority of the Afghan people, especially the country's womenfolk who find themselves deprived of basic freedoms, such as socialising in public and being educated.
The Taliban's nationwide crackdown on women's rights has resulted in teenage girls being barred from attending school and female employees in government offices being ordered to stay at home. Other restrictions imposed on Afghan women include a ban on most Afghan female staff from working at aid agencies, beauty salons being closed and women not being allowed to travel in the absence of a male guardian.
The Taliban's repressive behaviour has, of course, been the complete opposite of the Biden administration's confident prediction in the wake of the fiasco of the Afghan withdrawal that the new Taliban would be entirely different from its barbaric predecessor, and adopt a more inclusive approach to dealing with the country's citizens.
Indeed, the Taliban leaders themselves sought to portray a more moderate image, even declaring in one of their first press conferences after seizing control of the country that, "We are going to allow women to study and work without our framework. Women are going to be very active in our society."
The Taliban's oppressive conduct, moreover, has had a devastating impact on the country's population, with a recent report by the International Crisis Group estimating that about 28 million Afghans -- equivalent to two-thirds of the population -- are in need of humanitarian aid.
That the Taliban have done the exact opposite of what they pledged not only highlights the extreme naivety the Biden administration displayed in believing the Taliban's claim that it would adopt a more moderate position. It raises deeply troubling questions about the ability of the White House to tackle other major global issues, such as the Ukraine conflict, which began as a direct consequence of Biden's inept handling of the Afghan crisis.
Ukraine, too, has suffered widespread devastation as a result of Putin's brutal invasion. The latest figures compiled by the United Nations indicate that more than 17 million people in Ukraine are in need of humanitarian support, including around 5 million people who have been displaced internally by the effects of the war. In June this year, there were 6.3 million Ukrainians who had sought refuge abroad.
Yet, despite Russia's indisputable responsibility for causing this humanitarian crisis, questions remain about the commitment of the Biden White House to securing a Ukrainian victory.
The recent decision by the Biden administration to allow the delivery of US-made F-16 warplanes to Ukraine is a case in point.
Had the warplanes been provided when President Volodymyr Zekensky first requested them at the end of last year, they may have arrived in time to make a calculable difference to the Ukrainian ground offensive, where a lack of effective air cover has slowed the Ukrainian advance.
Biden's dithering over the issue, with the White House initially ruling out approving the transfer of the jets before eventually changing its mind, now means that it is highly unlikely the warplanes will be in action this year, by which time the Ukrainian offensive will have ended.
Furthermore, with neither Denmark nor the Netherlands, the two countries that have agreed to loan Ukraine F-16s from their military arsenals, willing to say exactly how many aircraft will be sent to Ukraine, questions remain about just how effective they will prove to be to Ukraine's war effort.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who has told his army to "prepare for war", appears to have reached the same conclusion as Putin.
In such circumstances, the Ukrainian people and the Taiwanese could be forgiven for believing that, just as happened in Afghanistan, Biden's inability to provide effective leadership on the world stage will simply result in them being abandoned to their fates.
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