April 29, 1975 Dutch photojournalist Hugh Van Es took a photo of the evacuation of the US Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam (now Ho Chi Min City) that became an iconic symbol of the end of the Vietnam War.
In his photo, we see Embassy workers climbing ladders to the highest roof of the building to a waiting US Marine helicopter that would take them away to safety, leaving behind countless others that would find their way out by other means, or worse, face the consequences of failing to do so.
46 years later, as another US military adventure in Asia draws to a close, it’s hard to avoid a feeling of deja vu as Kabul heads for a Taliban takeover (in just a day, Administration messaging has evolved from “not inevitable” denial to tacit acceptance).
Make of this what you will::
There are obvious differences between the Viet Cong (now good Communists and our friends) and the Taliban, but there are enough similarities in the history of Vietnam and Afghanistan as fiercely independent if feudalistic societies that have resisted domination by larger powers and won, to suggest there are some lessons to be relearned here.
From that perspective, I personally find the Cold War posturing of Biden Administration foreign policy to be my least favorite initiative and a cause for concern that he is replaying the wrong movie.
Granted, much of his rhetoric is for domestic consumption and about his personal mission to resurrect American Exceptionalism, but that is exactly the root of problem: on one hand we have an epic failure of exporting Western values and making them stick — something he claims only the USA can accomplish — and on the other hand, a cowboy act that the American Sheriff is back in town and will set the world right on everything from AGW to bad guys who don’t play by our unwritten rules.
That Afghanistan is headed for more tragedy and grief, particularly Afghan women, I have no doubt. It is going to be terrible for them.
That a historically feudalistic society is struggling to evolve into a modern state in the chaos of our 21st Century world, is not surprising given the history, geography and poverty.
That the nation with the greatest military in history is scouting new opportunities to use this instrument is depressing. From where I sit, I see no end in sight.
Your milage may differ. Feel free to express yourself.
A picture is a thousand words. Another thousand. And the day after.
Saturday, Aug 14, 2021 · 6:03:34 AM +00:00 · koNko
Coda::
As it now stands, Kabul is a refugee camp with insufficient resources, the Taliban camped around the perimeter, and as I had previously noted in comments, the US sending 3,000 troupes to secure the airport and assist evacuation of US citizens and some Afghans with papers to pass; the remainder will have to fend for themselves. These are the facts on the ground.
With the thread inactive, I’m signing off for the night. Thanks for the discussion.