The continuing debacle surrounding the departure of United States troops from Afghanistan requires the immediate resignations of the Secretary of State and the National Security Adviser.
In the United Kingdom, when a policy managed by a government official goes awry, the tradition is that the official must “withdraw.” This tradition, by its nature, avoids the determination that the resigning person was “at fault” in favor of the simple fact that association with the mistaken or misguided policy renders the affected person no longer able to achieve the public confidence required to do the job.
So viewed, whether Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan, or either of them, was right or wrong in effecting a failed military withdrawal from Afghanistan is irrelevant. They implemented a hasty, unprepared and chaotic military withdrawal against the advice of our military leadership.
Thirteen deaths of our troops and many woundings ensued.
The facts on the ground make it impossible for them to serve the nation whatever their justifications, if there are any.
The resignations are required as of today without taking into account the sequelae following the departure of United States troops by August 31.
Those sequelae are horrible to contemplate. They will come and Blinken and Sullivan cannot manage them.
The suggestion that the Taliban will act responsibly to accord justice in Afghan society and somehow instantaneously respect human rights, especially for women and girls, because they want financial help from the United States and Europe is aggressively stupid.
Taliban is a cult dedicated to violence and eighth century values embracing numerous offshoots of varying degrees of despotism. The idea that it can be bribed into supporting an enlightened society defies credulity.
And none of the murderous future that the Taliban promises has happened yet. That will come after Tuesday.
The utter vacuity of both Blinken and Sullivan was displayed in their flop performances on the Sunday shows on August 29. They each fell apart.
One remark by Blinken (among many) showed that he is past his fresh date. He said, as best I recall, “We at State are especially grieved by the loss of Marines at the Kabul airport because Marines guard our embassies and the first person you see is a Marine.”
They have to go