What Afghanistan Can Teach America To Prevent Fascism
Americans are watching the Afghanistan humanitarian crisis unfolding with horror, not realizing that they are seeing their future. Like Americans, the people of Afghanistan fully expected Biden and his Administration to swiftly undo, reverse, and ultimately prevent the inevitable fascist consequences that the Previous President set into motion. No one thought Biden would allow Trump’s fascist legacy to continue, let alone that he would honor and uphold it when given the opportunity. The deflecting being done by America’s powerful regarding this completely predictable crisis that they caused should terrify us all.
It has been painfully clear that most Afghans wanted Democracy and the Taliban had no intention of participating in it. Just as it is painfully clear that most Americans want Democracy and the GQP has no intention of participating in it.
What happened in Afghanistan shows us just how dangerous Biden’s complacency and unwillingness to fight for Democracy, even if it isn’t popular, truly is. We can see what comes from trusting terrorists and tyrants to do the right thing. Those who assisted the insurrectionists are still allowed to participate in the Government they attempted to overthrow and the democratic process they continue to try and obstruct. If the person who is clearly responsible for what we now know was (and our Allies immediately recognized as) an attempted coup has no repercussions and is allowed to continue raging on, then fascism will win. Afghanistan is showing us what fascism winning looks like.
Biden blaming a democratically elected government for lacking the will to fight in a war they could never have won against terrorists that have brutalized their people for generations and are easily considered some of the cruelest and heartless adversaries the world has known, is disgusting and ridiculous. Would Biden also blame the lawmakers and Capitol Police for “lacking the will to fight” if the amazingly near misses that prevented the attempted coup from succeeding January 6th had not happened, and they surrendered to prevent being publicly executed because the Government being successfully overthrown by the fascist terrorists would have been inevitable?
It‘s understandable that, like Biden’s constituents, and the rest of the world, the Afghan government did not expect Biden to honor negotiations made on their behalf, without their presence, by our fascism-loving Previous President, and against the advice of top US Advisors. It has been abundantly clear and widely agreed upon, leading up to this withdrawal, that Afghanistan would require a sustained US presence and continued financial and military support to maintain Democracy successfully.
Places like Korea that have sustained American military presence must have questions, especially when listening to Biden claim that it is impossible to keep our troops in Afghanistan to maintain fledgling Democracy against tyrants that we helped oust. The self-proclaimed “love affair” between Trump and Kim Jong Un, combined with the awareness that Biden apparently honors Trump’s “deals” no matter how detrimental they are to Democracy and the safety of the West, must make Korea wonder if they will be the next to lose American Troops?
The Reality TV President legitimized the Taliban by negotiating with them and calling them “tough people” while criticizing and tearing down US Generals and Military. Through his presidency, Trump’s goal was clearly to empower fascists, dictators, and tyrants, which is why he gave Afghanistan to the Taliban. In addition, Trump reduced the number of America’s troops from 15,000 to 2,500, withdrawing the last troops 5 days before Biden took office…all while refusing to communicate with Biden’s incoming administration.
How can America promote, protect, and preserve Democracy anywhere else if we cannot protect our own democracy, have a peaceful transfer of power, ensure the voting rights of all of its citizens, and hold the lawmakers and terrorists that attempted to overthrow the Government accountable?
How are we able to be a beacon for Democracy when, six months after the attempted coup, Trump is still peddling The Big Lie about the election, parroting Russian propaganda, savaging our allies in Europe, asserting that, “They are in many ways worse than China” and calling for closer ties with Russia, praising North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and bragging that China is helping American farmers because of Trump’s “great relationship” with President Xi Jinping.
The repercussions of Biden’s unwillingness to completely reverse ALL of the things set in motion by the fascist administration before him, jeopardizes Democracy, safety, and security worldwide. Thanks to the Kurds that Trump abandoned and our Afghan Allies, that Biden tragically neglected to evacuate in time, the world has been relatively free from the threat of Islamic Terrorists. Until now.
The Trump Administration ensured that Islamic terror would be unleashed upon the world again. By helping the Taliban become the strongest, it has been since 2001 and demanding that the Afghan Government release 5000 Taliban prisoners, including their leader, after 10,000 ISIL prisoners were released thanks to Trump’s abandonment of the Kurds. The continued abandonment of our allies and the service members indebted to them by both Presidents will make America finding the help necessary to eradicate future terror, virtually impossible.
Biden must evacuate every single American ally and their family from Afghanistan immediately as his primary priority. He must boost, rebuild and support Democracy with even more speed, passion, and determination than it was attacked, dismantled, and destroyed with. He must seize this opportunity to make the changes that ensure that an individual’s rights are never threatened again because they are reliant upon those in power doing the right thing.
Biden must make the repercussions of those who attempted to overthrow our Democracy and inflict fascism on us all so extreme that they are felt worldwide. Anyone using weaponized information to indoctrinate, brainwash and create alternate realities necessary for fascism to thrive needs to be prosecuted and shut down.
This was a tragic, completely unnecessary war that both political parties perpetuated and average Americans spent $300 million per day for 20 years to fight. We cannot keep engaging in wars that do nothing but line the pockets of those who should be responsible for the cost of the massive humanitarian fallout from this truly terrible ending (thanks to both parties again), not the Americans who will foot the bill for this horrific chapter too.
Fascist terrorists are watching closely, and if Biden and his administration don’t make it absolutely clear that there is zero-tolerance for terror and fascism anywhere, especially on our own soil, then there is no question that America and the rest of the West will experience what Afghanistan is experiencing right now.
