GZERO VIDEO: Biden administration made big mistakes in Afghan pullout
NEW YORK (GZERO MEDIA) – While the US’ pullout of troops from Afghanistan was a smart policy by President Joe Biden, it has failed militarily, diplomatically and internationally in its execution, says US political scientist Ian Bremmer.
Calling the move the “worst thing” mishandled so far since Mr Biden took presidency in January, Mr Bremmer says a big mistake made by the administration was to leave its Nato allies and China out of the decision making process.
The Taleban have advanced quickly across Afghanistan after Mr Biden announced in April that US troops will withdraw from the country from May 1 to Sept 11.
“The Americans should have been asking Beijing, ‘Look, we don’t want to keep our troops there. Our Nato allies don’t want to keep their troops there. But if you were to send peacekeepers, maybe we’d continue to provide humanitarian aid…’ “
He added that should Canada, Britain and other European countries have agreed to leave together and China been collaborated with on the pullout, the US could have shared the burden and responsibility.
“The Chinese government had no part of it. It’s all the United States. It’s all Biden. It’s all his loss. They can point and they can say, look, one more way that the Americans have failed on the international system,” said Mr Bremmer.
China has blamed religious extremism as a destabilising force in its western Xinjiang region and has long worried that Taleban-controlled Afghanistan would be used to harbour separatist forces within its borders.
Although he gives the administration “negative marks” for the policy execution, Mr Bremmer hopes they can do some fast damage control.
“And that’s even before we start talking about just what a disaster on the ground this is about to be for the people of Afghanistan.”
This GZERO media video is being shown here as part of a media partnership agreement with The Straits Times.