What Biden understands about Afghanistan


As the U.S. prepares to exit Afghanistan after 20 years, critics of the policy shift are hurling a range of accusations against it. The two most potent are that withdrawal will send a message of American defeatism to the world and that it will be a morally appalling act of indifference to the fate of the Afghan people, who will be deprived by a resurgent Taliban of the chance to determine their own political future.
Good thing Joe Biden understands more about the situation in Afghanistan than his critics.
What could be more compelling evidence of American defeatism and weakness than spending 20 years playing whack-a-mole with the Taliban with no evidence whatsoever that we can decisively prevail against them? Or propping up the Afghan government for those same two decades because it's too ineffectual to rule the country on its own? Who could possibly think that China, Russia, or any other adversary would be impressed with our willingness to continue like this with no end in sight when what it really does is endlessly demonstrate our impotence?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As for Afghan self-determination, all Americans of good will wish the country's people the best. Yet self-determination requires precisely that: a country's ability to determine its fate for itself. Afghanistan is not exercising self-determination if American troops are the ones performing one of the essential functions of government — namely, keeping order and putting down an insurgency. The country has been embroiled in a civil war for decades. Our presence has given one side an advantage for quite a long time now. If when we withdraw this side crumbles in a matter of weeks or months, that's a sign that we were the ones determining the country's fate, not the people of Afghanistan.
Judging from his remarks on Thursday afternoon, Joe Biden understands both of these points very well, and far better than his critics. I, for one, am grateful that he does.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Damon Linker is a senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also a former contributing editor at The New Republic and the author of The Theocons and The Religious Test.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
The resurgence of the Taliban in Pakistan
Under the Radar Islamabad blames Kabul for sheltering jihadi fighters terrorising Pakistan's borderlands
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff