WAPO on Afghan pullout

[cilla4progress]

Snip:

"By the middle of the week, as cities across Afghanistan were falling like dominoes to the Taliban and U.S. diplomats appeared increasingly at risk, President Biden’s plan for an orderly end to the United States’ longest war was quickly falling apart."

"On Wednesday evening, Biden convened his top advisers to assess the ominous turn of events. One by one, in the cramped Situation Room in the White House basement, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken outlined the administration’s options for ensuring the security of U.S. personnel. Biden asked them to return with recommendations."

"The urgency bordering on panic laid bare how the president’s strategy for ending the 20-year U.S. military effort — leaving Afghan forces to hold off the Taliban for months as negotiators redoubled efforts to hammer out a peace deal — has undergone a rapid dismantling."


I think it's OK to criticize this action without being seen as disloyal to Biden. That is treading too close to sycophancy to me, anyway.

[lapucelle]

1. Do you have a link? N/T

[cilla4progress]

3. Sorry...

here you go.

May be paywalled.

Multiple stories in today's WAPO on this.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/biden-taliban-afghan-collapse/2021/08/14/da7cba66-fcf7-11eb-b8dd-0e376fba55f2_story.html

[Walleye]

2. I would criticize but I have no idea of what would be a better way to do it

[cilla4progress]

4. Are they

mutually exclusive?

[ansible]

6. Neither did the White House apparently

[Shellback Squid]

5. is it an opinion piece?

[cilla4progress]

7. No.

...

[lapucelle]

9. It's long and complex and detailed, and includes facts, perspective, and analysis.

It's worth reading the whole thing for context.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/biden-taliban-afghan-collapse/2021/08/14/da7cba66-fcf7-11eb-b8dd-0e376fba55f2_story.html

[cilla4progress]

8. According to this article

it does indeed appear that many steps have been taken over time by the Biden admin in anticipation of what we are seeing happen. It appears this eventuality was one of the possibilities considered, to some degree.

People make mistakes, even well-meaning people. Hindsight is 20/20.

I wish our country put as much emphasis, money, value on humanitarian aid as it does on military.

[JoanofArgh]

10. Totally agree with this. I feel bad for your daughter in Canada.

I wish beforehand an effort was made to get families out if they had family members living in other countries or just generally trying to get as many people out as possible who wanted to go before the withdrawal was publicly announced.

[cilla4progress]

11. She did manage to get her parents out -

he worked for the US government there. That's how she was able to get into the US State Dept exchange program.

They are in Tajikistan. Her sisters and their families (children) remain in Jalalabad.