Wu Guangqiang jw368@163.com ON July 2, the news hit the headlines around the world that, in a sneaky way, American troops withdrew overnight from Bagram airbase in Afghanistan. The whole world was talking about the inevitable outcome of the hasty pull-out of the American troops: the fall of the U.S.-backed Kabul regime and the return of the Taliban. If anything went amiss with the anticipation, it was the dazzling speed at which the Taliban came back that was much faster than any wild guesses. Poorly armed Taliban fighters seized one city after another until they marched into Kabul without meeting any substantial resistance from the 300,000-strong Afghan government troops armed to the teeth with American weapons. In mid-July, U.S. President Joe Biden assured the media that the well-trained Afghan government troops would be capable of stopping the Taliban and that the United States would not experience the embarrassing moment as it did in 1975 when Americans scrambled out of Saigon. Later on, even when the Taliban were advancing rapidly with their offensive, the most pessimistic American generals and intelligence officials predicted that it would be at least three months before the Taliban eventually captured the whole nation. As it turned out, however, it was in less than 10 days that the control of the country changed hands. The world saw a replay in Kabul in August 2021 of the pathetic April 1975 Saigon evacuation. Though 46 years apart, the sights in the two cities were strikingly similar: hellish chaos, frantic panic, roaring Chinook helicopters, and desperate fights over seats on planes. In Kabul, a number of people trying to hide in the undercarriage of a plane fell to their death after the plane took off. Despite the fact that America has been a persistent perpetrator of hit-and-run tactic that abandons its “allies” for American interests, Biden’s decision to retreat from Afghanistan with its horrendous consequences has left many people inside and outside America in a state of shock; after all, the “castle” America had spent 20 years building at the colossal costs of lives and money evaporated in a blink. In my opinion, however, everything happens for a reason and all historical events are ruled by the historical law. America’s failure in Afghanistan was set the very first day when it invaded the poverty-stricken yet rebellious country. In an opinion piece titled “9/11 lessons not learned” published in Shenzhen Daily on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attack, I pointed out that “American leaders, shackled to the ‘eye for eye’ mentality, launched wars one after another in the name of anti-terrorism,” but “force could not solve ideological differences, let alone win hearts and minds.” My conclusion is “Any attempt to dominate the world with one’s own values or rules is self-defeating. The Soviet Union failed. So will the United States.” History has again made its fair verdict. But it is certain America won’t accept it and nor will its followers draw lessons from it. How many of the following lessons will be learned by America? It started numerous wars on the soil of other nations under the pretexts of fighting terrorism, safeguarding democracy, and overturning “rogue regimes” before beating a retreat after causing havoc on the victims. Countless discarding of its allies or “friends” shows that any American commitment is as thin as ice; anything for others is negotiable or abandonable. Putting one’s own security and fate in the hands of America is tantamount to appointing a wolf to guard the door of a rabbit. Many critics are holding Biden accountable for the hasty and irresponsible withdrawal, which they call the biggest shame for America. Some, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, have called for Biden’s resignation. But they are just playing innocence, pretending not to know the fact that America is suffering unbearable financial burdens owing to a mixture of the pandemic-induced economic recession and astronomical expenses for overseas military missions. Continuing the prolonged occupation of Afghanistan will cause America to bleed to death. If the critics are really concerned with the fundamental interests, they should support Biden’s decision and call for the end of America’s long-standing practice of interfering with the internal affairs of other countries. The two quotes should be borne in mind: “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” “Each time history repeats itself, the price goes up.” (The author is an English tutor and freelance writer.) | 