What is going on in Afghanistan right now?

Over the course of the last week there has been inescapable coverage of the situation in Afghanistan. It is tragic and just seems to be adding to the long list of everything that is going wrong in the world at the minute. Without sounding too cynical, we have had Covid, the ever-increasing threat of global warming and now the escalation of the problems in Afghanistan which is so obviously now a human rights crisis. The escalating problem in the country has primarily come about as a result of the US troops withdrawing from the country which has then allowed the Taliban to take over once again.

The US initially deployed troops to Afghanistan in 2001. This came about as a result of the growth of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban facilitating terrorists and terrorist training camps in the country. With the final straw most likely being the attack on the twin towers on the 11th September 2001. Of course most people who keep up with global news will be aware of these events and the facts that the US has been involved in Afghanistan since 2001 [so for twenty years] and famously it was during Obama’s time in office that the US finally managed to locate and assassinate Bin Laden. America’s presence in Afghanistan has been consistent for the past twenty years and there have been attempts made to establish the country as a democratic nation, with a more ‘Westernised’ outlook. America unfortunately has a habit of involving itself in international relations when it he sees something as a threat to their own country which then ultimately exacerbates issues. Take for example Iraq and Vietnam, America’s involvement in these countries did not particularly end well or as America hoped it would have done.

Of course, I am not making any claim that when human rights are being taken advantage of that there should be no intervention. It’s America’s duty as one of the more powerful countries [it being a superpower] to be able to balance international relations and protect people in countries who are much less fortunate. However, America needs to think of a better way to do this than the way they have ultimately been adhering to for many years. To attempt to establish democracy in a country that had little of it in the first place, was run by corruption or extremists is a difficult feat. So difficult that it almost seems ridiculous to imagine or comprehend. America had already failed to establish democracy in Vietnam and Iraq, or the form of democracy that put the countries on the same level, which is why it is baffling that it thought it could do the same in Afghanistan.

Most presidents [after Bush] have been committed to continuing the US presence in Afghanistan and though some good may have been done during these times, the setting up of a more democratic system and numerous peace talks; they all appear to have been to no avail. The peace talks have been the highlight of the last couple of years between Afghanistan and the US with Trump calling them off as he believed the situation had been solved [another example of the previous president’s lunacy] however a peace deal was ultimately signed during this period. This then allowed for the US to commit to removing its troops from Camp David and Afghanistan. Biden committed to these withdrawals and as a result the Afghanistan government has collapsed and the Taliban have begun to re-establish control again. Ultimately undoing everything that has occurred over the past twenty years.

Anyone who has studied history or even shown the vaguest interest in it will be aware of the notion that it takes a significant number of years for a country to establish proper democracy. A new democracy has to stand the test of time and slowly create stability. Look at the interregnum in England and the Civil War during his period, or at the French revolution. Both of these famous periods of history are demonstrations of the instability of countries when there is an attempt made to establish democracy and they clearly show how long it takes for this political ideology to properly take hold. Clearly, it takes hundreds of years of adjustment and refinement. This is why it then baffles me that America believes it can essentially invade a country and then attempt to establish control through the setting up of democracy. Particularly when the US is unaware of the miniscule details of past tensions in the country which can ultimately put the brakes on any plan. It is an intricate art to establish democracy and it is so obvious to me that America has not been able to master this art, let alone refine it.

Of course there is growing concern about the state of the country and the human rights crisis that is now occurring. It only takes a flick through social media to understand the situation and see it for your own eyes. The numerous videos of people attempting to board planes and people passing their children through large swarms of people is both harrowing and heart-breaking. The rise of the Taliban has also resulted in an increase of concern for the women and children in Afghanistan which many fear will ultimately face much harsher and inhumane treatment; something which sadly was the reality when the Taliban first held power. The growing problem in Afghanistan is a clear example of the intricacies of international relations and America’s lack of awareness of the damage they cause as a result of their saviour complex. Many times I have heard the question being asked about when will America learn? They are still making the same mistakes and their intervention is ultimately problematic and extremely damaging.

What can you do to help? Check out these charity pages for more information and ways to donate

https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/where-we-work/asia/afghanistan

https://www.rescue.org/country/afghanistan

https://www.actionaid.org.uk/about-us/where-we-work/afghanistan

https://www.afghanaid.org.uk/

https://www.unrefugees.org.uk/where-help-is-needed/afghanistan-situation/

https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/south-asia/afghanistan/