Germany Calls Biden’s Afghanistan Pull-Out the “Biggest Debacle” for NATO
U.S. allies “embittered,” as rogue states and terrorist groups cheer Taliban victory.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and members of her government condemned the Biden administration’s catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan in harsh terms.
The debacle in Afghanistan was “an extremely bitter development. Bitter, dramatic and terrifying,” Chancellor Merkel said while speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
In her sharpest attack on Biden’s decision yet, the German chancellor suggested that the Biden administration’s hasty and messy withdrawal was motivated by “domestic political reasons” rather than geostrategic necessities.
The German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported Merkel’s remarks:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke on Monday about the quickly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control.
“This is an extremely bitter development. Bitter, dramatic and terrifying,” said the chancellor.
“It is a terrible development for the millions of Afghans who want a more liberal society,” she said. (…)
“I am thinking of the pain of families of soldiers who lost their lives fighting there. Now everything seems so hopeless.” (…)
Earlier, according to participants at a meeting of party members, Merkel said she believed the US decision to press ahead with the withdrawal was taken for “domestic political reasons” were partly to blame.
The head of Merkel’s Christian Democratic party (CDU) and chancellor candidate in the next month’s general election, Armin Laschet, had even harsher words for Biden’s failure in Afghanistan. “It’s the biggest debacle that NATO has suffered since its creation and it’s a change of era that we are confronted with,” he said.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier saw the Biden administration-led pullout as “shameful.”
“The images of desperation at Kabul airport are shameful for the political West,” the president said. “We are experiencing a human tragedy for which we share responsibility.”
The disaster in Afghanistan comes as a bitter shock to the German political class. After four years of President Donald Trump, the country’s politicians and mainstream media rooted enthusiastically for the Biden-Harris ticket.
Richard Grenell, the former U.S. envoy to Germany, witnessed Berlin’s euphoria over the Biden presidential win first-hand:
Remember, the current German government wanted Joe Biden to be in charge of global foreign policy.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) August 15, 2021
Ally UK “Embittered” by Biden’s Afghan Disaster
“Joe Biden has come under fire from senior British politicians over his defense for withdrawing forces from Afghanistan, with [Labour Party chief] Keir Starmer calling it a ‘catastrophic error of judgment,'” UK newspaper The Guardian reported on Tuesday.
The newspaper said the pressure was mounting on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to distance himself from Biden on Afghanistan.
The Guardian reported the political mood in London:
Biden’s claim that the US and its allies gave Afghans “every chance to determine their own future” but ultimately “could not provide them with the will to fight for that future” drew criticism from senior Tory MPs, Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
Pressure mounted on the prime minister, Boris Johnson, to disavow the comments, before a statement he will make on Wednesday when parliament is recalled.
Biden’s claim that the US and its allies gave Afghans “every chance to determine their own future” but ultimately “could not provide them with the will to fight for that future” drew criticism from senior Tory MPs, Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
Pressure mounted on the prime minister, Boris Johnson, to disavow the comments, before a statement he will make on Wednesday when parliament is recalled.
The New York Times reported that Biden’s disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal has ‘rattled’ the UK political establishment. “Britain was the second-largest supplier of troops to Afghanistan, and the United States’ rapid withdrawal from the country has left some [in Britain] embittered,” the Times commented.
“In Britain, the chaotic departure from Afghanistan has drawn comparisons” to the “1956 Suez crisis, in which a humiliated Britain was forced to pull out of Egypt, having failed to dislodge its nationalist leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser,” the newspaper added.
UK’s former Veterans Affairs Minister, Johnny Mercer, who personally served as an artillery officer in Afghanistan, said that his country had “chosen defeat.” The hasty withdrawal was “shameful,” “sad,” “humiliating for the British army,” and a “tragedy for the Afghan people.”
Rogue States and Terrorist Groups Cheer Taliban Victory
China, which shares a 50-mile border with Afghanistan, sees “friendly” Taliban rule as a great opportunity to extend its influence in the Middle East and exploit the country’s rich mineral resources, including rare earth metals — initial media reports suggest.
Beijing seeks “friendly and cooperative” relations with the Taliban regime, a government spokesperson said Monday.
The affinity between the world’s most extensive Communist regime and the newly-founded Islamic Emirate is mutual. Ahead of the fall of Kabul, a Taliban spokesman described China as a “welcome friend.”
The leading global sponsor of terrorism, the Iranian regime, which nurtures Shia and Sunni jihadi groups worldwide, welcomed Biden’s failure in Afghanistan. The U.S. “military failure” at the hands of the Taliban is a great opportunity to “revive life, security and lasting peace” in the country, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday.
Gaza-based Islamic terrorist group Hamas cheered the Taliban for the “downfall” of the U.S. in Afghanistan. The jihadi outfit “congratulates the Afghani Muslim nation for the downfall of the American occupation in all Afghani territory,” the Hamas statement said.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) congratulated the Taliban for waging a successful jihad. “It has been the Muslim people which has performed the greatest jihadist heroics against all invaders over the course of their honorable history,” the terrorist group declared.
UPDATES
President Biden talks to Chancellor Merkel for the first time since the fall of Kabul.
Biden calls a foreign leader pic.twitter.com/khKgkjoF5M
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) August 18, 2021
[Author served as personal secretary to the German ambassador in Uzbekistan during the early years of NATO deployment in Afghanistan]
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They have every reason to be concerned.
A new wave of terrorist attacks is most likely brewing as we speak, and the first targets will probably be in Europe, especially France and Germany, probably UK too.
It should take them a bit longer to attack US soil, but given the situation in the Southern border, who knows.
But look on the bright side, there are no more annoying Tweets from Trump.
Also, in a year or two, with creepy grand uncle Joe and crazy great aunt Nancy at the helm, the nation will be bankrupt and no one will be coming across the southern border, so terrorist infiltration will be easier to detect there.
You see, it’s all a coherent plan.
20,000 Afghanistan’s will be in Texas this week
What do you think the odds are we get more than a few terrorists in the bunch
Or Omar voters.
Very high.
Don’t fall for the virtuous Afghan ally narrative. The manner of the withdrawal has basically eliminated the ability to vet these folks. Unfortunately these who deserve to have a chance at a visa are not necessarily the folks getting put on outbound aircraft.
Heck many of them ain’t even in Kabal. Doubly so for American Citizens stranded across Afghanistan. Maybe we should prioritize the exit of American Citizens before we worry about Afghans?
There was a photo of a plan flight out of Afghanistan with some idiot crowing about rescuing them.
Literally EVERY SINGLE ONE was a military age male. Literally. Every. Single. One.
After this we will have no allies. America Alone.
Hey Angela, you wanted him, remember?
Somehow I don’t think a President Trump would have been so stupid or so ill-prepared.
Still, you got what you wanted — no mean tweets, right?.
Why the concern, Mutter Merkel? Just allow those millions of Afghans into YOUR country!
Right?
Getting ’em all in would be tight fit. That would take a heckava lot of vieneerschlickum.
Where do these people get off? They’ve done their lever best to do NOTHING in Afghanistan since we went in, and those that went packed up a decade ago.
The German military has been running Regional Command North centered in Mazar from almost day one and withdrew just this year. The Italians held RC-West. The British had the second largest contingency in AFG. There were thousands of Australian, Dutch, and Romanian troops as well as troops from dozens of countries. I must have been seeing a mirage if they packed up a decade ago.
After this we will have no allies. America Alone..
The British have a very capable conventional military and could have easily supplied a troop commitment of Brigade size; 3,000 – 3,500 troops. The French and Germans and other EU and or NATO members could have augmented that base with their own highly professional and extremely capable Tier I or Tier II special operations units.
They chose not to offer these forces to assume responsibility for the mission. Had they been willing to do so I don’t doubt that the US, even DJT, would have been willing to maintain ISR, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance platforms and capabilities in Afghanistan.
The European governments are PO because they are used to being consulted and in some cases deferred to about the employment and disposition of US forces. MAGA has made clear that those days are done. The American people are largely disenchanted with endless wars and high defense burdens.
That’s the new strategic reality and they are frightened by the prospect of the US refusing to maintain a ‘world order’ where it doesn’t directly benefit the strategic interests of the USA. Each of them, Germany in particular, will be forced to accept this or reallocate funds from their expansive welfare state back to national defense which will be hugely disruptive to their internal politics.
Nailed it.
You should read the recently released French military strategy. It specifically speaks of filling in voids left by a diminished America that will largely pull out of African and the Middle-east and that France will need fill some of that void as the US concentrates on East Asia and China.
The French General Staff has declared that a major conflict between global powers is a “certainty” within ten years, and that the government of France needs to prepare the population to mobilize and accept casualties on par with or greater than during WWII. The French military budget will grow over 60% from its 2018 level by 2025.
There is a constant theme that France must harden its soldiers to be prepared to endure the hardships they most certainly face in near future.
https://franceintheus.org/IMG/pdf/french_army_strategic_vision_2020.pdf
Funny how the recommendation of these reports is always “spend more money on us”
Given that these Nation’s defense budgets have been purposefully starved in favor of increased domestic welfare spending because they have taken the US defense spending and the umbrella of security and capability it provides for granted then it seems to make sense.
FR spend about $50 billion on defense annually. That’s about 1.85% of FR GDP. Contrast that with the fact that FR GDP is about 2.8% of world GDP. They could afford more defense spending. Especially when they wish to have a seat at the grown up table where Grand strategy is decided.
“Especially when they wish to have a seat at the grown up table where Grand strategy is decided.”
You mean at the table where they insist everyone should be able to speak French?
Well they are French and thus very French….they were able to impose the metric system on the rest of the world.
The difference between the FR in Paris and those in the countryside always struck me. It’s like two different Nations in terms of attitudes. Their Soldiers are damn sharp as well, at least the ones I came in contact with.
10 years? More likely 10 months. Next spring.
Do you really think China will be ready to invade Taiwan by then? You may be right, or they may see a window of opportunity if Joe’s dementia worsens and decide to take the chance. My guess would be they need a bit longer to build up a troop-transport sea capability. Invasions tend to be logistic nightmares.
Sorry but the UK, French and German forces were deployed as part of NATO. That the US unilaterally pulled out of Afghanistan with no notice, no warning and no plan beyond ‘give the Taliban all the equipment it could dream of’ means suggesting that the UK and others could have mobilised and filled the gap is extremely naive.
The UK do have a brigade that can be deployed at short to no notice. It’s currently out in Kabul rescuing Americans, having had to argue with the American army that wanted to stop them doing that.
We’re tidying up after your mess, don’t be trying to shift the blame to us. You wanted NATO in Afghanistan, you precipitously withdrew leaving your allies holding the bag. We’re dealing with it, the least you can do is actually acknowledge this even if you’re not going to help.
Endlich können wir sehen, dass er keine Kleider hat.
We can finally see that he has no clothes
Well, it seems it’s a good thing was having a real leader that built NATO up.
BREAKING: Hunter Biden is auctioning his refrigerator art to Americans stuck in Afgahnistan (starting bid: 500k). Each painting comes with a ticket to the US. aboard an Air Force C17.
A picture is worth a thousand words
https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/W8zhDKp1iO0FF5Ps3WWakjKQL0A=/0x0:3721×2470/1200×800/filters:focal(1292×396:1886×990)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60022743/AP_18160750063030.0.jpg
I knew from day 1 of Sundowner’s administration foreign dignitaries and Propaganda Ministry personnel would still have no issue tossing Sundowner under the bus.
As of this afternoon, Biden is planning on giving a speech to America…..ON Covid. I doubt very much he will be addressing the influx of covid infested illegals and their relocation to all parts of our country. As of today is yet to make but one phone call to Boris Johnson and none to our partners in NATO. They’re upset enough that they are going public denouncing him by name. Even Jimmy Carter was not put on the racks such as is being aired by fellow world leaders. This does not bode well for America when we are again facing another 9/11 event due to his incompetency at a time when we have no liaisons in the world to have our back and ones he would probably ignore. Will our own military stand with Biden with any fortitude on any future decision(s) when (not if) the time comes ?
After declining input from his Generals, CIA and Ambassadors on the ground, Mr. Foreign Policy Guru has to GO!
I posted before edit…Mia Culpa fellow posters !
As of this afternoon, Biden is planning on giving a speech to America…..ON COVID. I doubt very much he will be addressing the influx of COVID infested illegals and their relocation to all parts of our country. As of today he has yet to make but one phone call to Boris Johnson and none to our partners in NATO. They’re upset enough that they are going public denouncing him by name. Even Jimmy Carter was not put on the racks such as is being aired on Biden by his “fellow” world leaders. This does not bode well for America when we are again facing another 9/11 event due to his incompetency. We are now facing years where we have no liaisons in the world to have our back. After declining input from his Generals, CIA and Ambassadors on the ground, will our own military stand with Biden with any fortitude on any future decision(s) when (not if) the time comes ?
Mr. Foreign Policy Guru has to GO!
That being said knowingly that Harris who doesn’t know up from down yet possess a large ego as opposed to experience would have need to come off looking good and would have to defer and rely on others to hold it together as to avoid being impeached. Pelosi will not interfere as she will have her own hard pull trying to keep her personal agenda for the Democrats with her time left as a Congress Rep.
Ah yes.
Remember when these jackasses pitched a fit that Trump was actually demanding they spend the agreed-upon (and SMALL) percentage of their budget on military as a condition of NATO?
Hey Europe, when you actually lift a finger to defend yourself you can bitch and whine. Until then they can shut the hell up unless they plan to do it themselves.
God help us all.
**DISTRACTION**DISTRACTION**DISTRACTION** ONLY 2020 ELECTION MATTERS RIGHT NOW!!!