Afghanistan

Trump agreed to a procedure (which included letting out thousands of Taliban from custody) to remove American troops from Afghanistan.

The actual complex final stages was left to a credible Administration. Delayed because the Afghanistan government (since fallen) did not want it to be done sooner since it would be seen as making the situation hopeless, something like 100,000 people have been flown out. This would be any American citizens (including dual citizens) and a range of people who helped us (and their families). This is a remarkable achievement.

It also was not seamless.  No realistic possibility it would be.  Likewise, there was and is no way to get everyone who in some fashion helped and supported the Americans out.  That simply is not possible.  It also underlines the problems with such interventions.  Yes, we have a duty to do the most we can, especially in respect to certain people like translators.  

But, there is just a limit here.  It might be an unpleasant one.  Some, include some voices from the media (which got pushback too, but not all "media," which is also where people like me get their information), have what I would say "harped" or some similar word on how "messy" or "mistakes" made or some other bad mouthing of the Biden Administration. This comes off as fantasy.  This was going to be messy. 

The bottom line is that (as shown by the Trump Administration) there was a broad support for a withdrawal.  Continuing in Afghanistan was not a productive approach.  There was continual loss of life.  After a while, no one paid attention, unlike now, but that doesn't make the life and limb any less lost. 9/11 with Bin Laden and Al Qaeda being harbored in Afghanistan made a limited military intervention reasonable.  But, twenty years?

The withdrawal, with the Taliban agreeing and a deadline (August 31) being in place, was rather peaceful.  Terrorists found this unpleasant, so we had an attack -- last numbers I saw was thirteen Americans (military; 15 wounded) and "as many as 170" (maybe three times as much as the first number I saw) people (locals) killed and one would think many more injured.

The latter underlines how the terrorists (ISIS-K here) yet again ultimately harm locals much more than Americans on a regular basis.  It also underlines the fact that military intervention (and intervention in general) can be a matter of diminishing returns.  Did we not see this in our own country repeatedly, including during Reconstruction?  

President Biden, e.g., tough boy-ed yesterday about going after the people who attacked/killed/injured American troops.  Justice there is a valid sentiment as is (up to a point) the need to have a suitable response. It also is limited. You just cannot keep killing people  here.  And, when you try, you regularly have collateral damage (as the euphemism goes).  

The final point, I'd add, is that the result here is bad leadership -- the Taliban will take over.  Such is the result there and elsewhere of self-government.  This includes needing to deal with them in some way (as they are now).  People will be hurt, at times severely, including women in particular (given the Taliban's perverse cultural approach to Islam).  

Continuing to have troops there won't suddenly change this, even if an alternative Afghanistan government would be able to have more of a presence (with continual attacks) to some degree.  There needs to be some international effort to protect basic human rights world-wide.  Use of U.S. military force (with some limited support from other nations, I would suppose), is a rather problematic approach here with limited long term value.  

A move forward is hard but sometimes appropriate given the problems of the present. This is true here as much as in other areas such as drugs or criminal justice.  The absurd/unserious responses (including Republicans talking about resignation/impeachment while opposing both for four years regarding Trump) as well as the more "concerned but shallow" responses doesn't change that.  Overall, I'm glad we have serious experts like Biden in charge.  I'm sure mistakes of some sort were made in part of how that was the case here for twenty years.  

Withdrawal remains the right way to go.