After 20 years, the United States has pulled out of Afghanistan. There have been scenes of chaos at Kabul airport as Afghans desperately try to escape the incoming Taliban administration which they suspect will be repressive, intolerant, and vindictive.
Some commentators claim that this is President Joe Biden's 'Carter moment'. In reality, most Americans realise that little was achieved in two decades in Afghanistan and that chaos was inevitable in any withdrawal.
But there is an important lesson to be learned from this fiasco: powerful states should avoid the hubris that they can remake smaller nations in their own image.
In 2001, the United States invaded Afghanistan to get rid of Bin Laden and the Taliban, and to rebuild the country as a democratic inclusive state. Their failure was evidenced by the pathetic failure of the Afghan national army with 300,000 soldiers and massive resources to defeat 75,000 Taliban soldiers armed with Ak-47s. No-one was prepared to die fighting to save the Afghan state.
Powerful nations cannot dictate how countries can be governed. They have to allow citizens to decide the type of government they want and fight for it themselves.
Quote of the day: "You're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem."
Eldridge Cleaver
The African-American activist was born on August 31, 1935
