Hi Graham,

Afghan Australians must be fearing for their
families left behind and what the Taliban's
control will mean for women and the Hazara
community in Afghanistan.

It's a complex situation. We were there for
20 years and as many have said - this was
inevitable. Our governments should have seen
this coming and they could have prepared for
it better. And it could have been done better
But it's easy to criticize. It will now be up
to whether we should recognize the Taliban?
Do we try to protect human rights by engaging
with the Taliban or do we refuse to recognize
a repressive regime?

Power brings it's own legitimacy and as someone
pointed out - I think it was Stan Grant - that
in the West we have no problem forging alliances
of convenience with despotic regimes when it
suits us. Look at China, Russia, even Saudi Arabia.

As for Scott Morrison? Hasn't our PM agreed that
Australia will be taking Afghan refugees?
Not sure of the number - but surely that's a good
thing?

I see Biden is still hiding.

Sorry, Graham. Can only see the wasted lives and resources plus the betrayal of former allies.

Down to me, would continue, but with a gorilla type war of hit and run where there were no uniforms or rules of engagement. And where anyone carrying a weapon was fair game and Taliban!! And from where unmanned drones would be the principal weapon that could be directed to the identified target by our concealed civilian eyeballs!
Alan B.

Thanks for the article Graham.

I can't help but think that we just don't understand the Afghani people- similar to the complexity of Vietnam. Sometimes leaders just need to act even if it's wrong. There is also the difficulty of attacking an embedded enemy- sounds like a job for better command and control systems. Afghanistan (and the Middle East) have always been contentious in a sense being located between the historically dominant European and Far Eastern regimes- land locked. As they say in Charlie Wilson's War "We'll see!".

I fear this is a lot more than a hiccup on the road to ultimate redemption. It is more like an inflexion point in history - more Berlin wall than Benghazi embassy. Russia was already a spent power in 1989.. The fall of the wall was a marker that confirmed it.

This looks to me like a marker that confirms the passing of the US hegemonic period. Prepare for the Chinese century.

US society, beset by lunacy like Critical Race Theory and social battle between the managerial class and the productive class, is no longer capable of projecting power. It is said the US Kabul embassy spent more time preparing for Gay Pride month than for the exodus from Kabul.

The US is led by a cabal of people who fancy themselves foreign policy experts but have been making foreign policy errors for two generations. The US military, formidable on paper, is no longer capable of fighting any determined enemy.

At the very least this is the equivalent of Saigon 1975. An ally abandoned, the US and its military humiliated, a people war-weary and not prepared to venture forth any time soon. Remember how that played out. The fall of Cambodia and Laos; African states racing to align with the strong horse (Russia); the loss of Iran and the further humiliation at that embassy; the Russians so emboldened that they invaded Afghanistan.

The US is in retreat, led by a bumbling fool who heads a team and party whose first priority is their rather than their nation's welfare.

The Chinese are already flexing their muscle and pressuring Taiwan who must now doubt the value of US support.

The humiliations after Saigon were arrested by the rise of Reagan and perhaps the US will find a new (or used) saviour. But the ruling elite demonstrated they were prepared to subvert democracy once to protect their privilege and its unlikely they'll permit an outsider to take the reins again.

We, in Australia, have to ponder how we fit into a Chinese hegemony. I doubt we have the leaders to make that assessment

Oh come on, what an off kilter and jaundiced reading of the situation.

Australia fulfilled every part of the role it set itself and succeeded admirably.

There was no threat to this country from the Afghan people at all. There was no ability to strike at Australia nor was there any intention.

Our attendance was purely to maintain an alliance with the US which would enable to count on them if things really did threaten us. Turnbull having Trump take our refugees was an example of cashing in on that relationship.

I have spoken to returned servicemen who were well aware of their primary role. They knew they weren't putting themselves in harms way to save Australia from the Taliban, it was to shore up our relationship with the strongest military power in the world.

Sure this country invited increased home grown terrorist threat by being involved, but that was a risk our government was willing to take to honour the alliance.

If there are lessons here it should be around the deeply corrosive nature of corruption and a people's capacity to contemplate supporting of far left or far right, or deeply religious leadership.

The Vice film was highly illustrative of who the US picked to prosecute their mission in Afghanistan. The deep disillusion by on the US ground troops and commanders who were ordered to take a blind eye to the corruption and abuses of those they allowed power in that country showed there was likely only one outcome here. It is really worth a watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5Q75hf6QI&ab_channel=VICE

“Even when guys were abducting and raping young boys and murdering them, nothing happened as a result of his reports. He was reporting up everything he saw to over 200 people in the chain of command, nothing was ever done.”