OP-ED: The Afghanistan debacle may have far more grim consequences to come

By Angie Pereira, Contributor

As divided as our country has become on issues from masks and vaccines to politics, I think we have found a common ground on one issue, or at least a vast majority of us have – Afghanistan. 

The last several days have brought much shock and angst to all of us sitting here glued to whatever news sources we trust. It has been some time now since any of our news sources have been somewhat parroting of one another.

It might not be exact, but the general consensus on the situation with the rapid takeover by the Taliban of the Afghan government following a sharp withdrawal of U.S. forces, who remained in the region to train and support the still growing and developing Afghan military, seems to clearly acknowledge an immense and deadly failure by the administration, at the direction of the president. 

Most media are now taking a more critical approach with the administration, which promised true transparency, as we are facing a very destructive and possible national security risk that could very well make its way back onto our soil, as it did on September 11^th, 2001.

Before this, we saw much of the media tossing softball questions during press conferences and trying to pretend the administration was actually holding true to their transparency promise. 

Then Kabul fell. We knew the Taliban was making their move to regain control over the region, as our military was pulling out, but the administration just kept moving forward with their plans to leave and the capitol city fell, and the Afghan president fled.

Thousands of Afghanis, along with Americans and other ally citizens flocked to the airport begging and risking their lives to flee the horror they knew would quickly ensue under the terrorist regime’s control. People clinging to aircraft taking off and falling to their death was not something we could ignore, not even those in the media who have either ignored or protected this administration from the numerous signs of incompetence.

Now, the administration is getting grilled from every angle of the press corps because this is too big and dangerous to ignore and answers are being demanded by all Americans, as well as people all across the world. 

We are no longer revered as the powerhouse we always have been on the world stage. We are no longer seen as trustworthy among our allies. We are being seen as a pathetic dog, scolded by the terrorist Taliban, and are now bowing to their barked commands and leaving with our tails tucked between our legs.

This appearance of weakness and poor decision making has destroyed our reputation around the world and is having adverse implications on allies, such as India. The government and citizens of India are living a nightmare.

The U.S. presence in the region has kept the area more stable than ever before, that is until President Biden’s inept decision to abruptly withdraw from Afghanistan that has led to immense turmoil that is not just residing in Afghanistan. 

Pakistan, a long-suspected country of refuge for terrorist factions, is poised, possibly in collaboration with the Taliban, to invade India.

The Taliban has made no qualms about their disdain for India and their regained control of the Afghanistan region has placed India on high alert.

Citizens in India are very concerned for their safety and they have lost faith the U.S. would come and provide military assistance in the event of a Pakistani, Taliban, or other terrorist invasion or attack. 

The level of trust that our government has broken throughout the world in such a short period of time is astounding and every American should be alarmed by this. It is not a political issue anymore.

It is now a survival and national security issue. When you show cowardice and disregard for the safety of an entire region of the world and you fail your allies, this places us at a disadvantage when it comes to trust. 

We need to be asking what we do to rectify this situation and regain the respect we have lost, re-instill trust with our allies and protect the security we are all due as Americans.

At this moment, impeachment of the president seems like an option to be considered. Reports indicated he was advised against this course of action but proceeded anyway and here we are in the midst of a global tragedy of mass proportion.

This was not just a mistake, it was a deliberate choice with significant ramifications that will last for years to come, and that is not even paying respect to the lives lost leading to families being destroyed permanently – all of which could have been prevented with a more competent strategy and a more competent leader.

The U.S. and the world need competency to return to the White House and all positions within the administration and we need it NOW before the situation worsens because it is abundantly clear it will.