In the run up to the last US Presidential election I drew attention to how much continuity of policy Mr Biden was offering beneath the heavy spin that Trump’s attitudes and actions were all unacceptable and needed changing. Mr Biden backed the Trump made in America policy. He supported taking a tougher stance against China and imposing trade sanctions and tariffs on them. He supported the large fiscal stimulus supplied by President Trump, and wanted the Fed to go on printing more dollars. He agreed with Mr Trump about withdrawing forces from the Middle East.
The three major differences which he understandably played up in his campaign were to open US borders and welcome in many more economic migrants, to work with allies and International bodies much more collaboratively, and to reverse the cheap energy policy in the name of net zero. Eight months into office President Biden has gone a long way to match or exceed the Trump positions on these matters. He has changed from a attempted opening of the borders to many apprehensions and a lot of expulsions under Trump’s Health Title 42 procedure to try and stem the much larger flow he has encouraged. . He has pulled out of Afghanistan without securing the consent of allies or even consulting properly with them, with unfortunate consequences. He has damaged the careful structure of alliances between Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States that Mr trump had constructed. He has not yet produced a full net zero plan, nor taken penal action against oil and gas companies.
Perhaps now we will see a differentiation in ways commentators did not expect. President Biden went further than President Trump in upsetting NATO allies. Mr Trump’s Doha Agreement it is true was a bilateral between the USA and the Taliban without wider NATO signatures. However Mr Trump made withdrawal of US troops in it conditional on various good conducts by the Taliban and did not himself remove the troops much as he would like to have done prior to the election. President Biden will go further than Mr Trump in increasing both spending and deficit, with added ideological edge to increase the state sector substantially. He will through his Treasury Secretary, the former Chairman of the Fed Janet Yellen expect the Fed to keep interest rates down and keep printing the dollars. There is likely to be less push back from the Fed than there was against Mr Trump’s wish for easy money, not least because the current Fed Chair wants to be reappointed early next year. President Biden will take more risks with inflation than President Trump did.
President Biden’s foolish decision to pull out unilaterally overnight from Afghanistan has done great damage to alliances and to the Middle East. A small force of US led NATO troops who did not in the later years usually have to fight sustained for several years a democratic government in Kabul and helped them keep some semblance of law and order. Whilst that government had obvious flaws it could have been replaced in due course through an election. Instead President Biden has ushered into power the very movement NATO went to remove twenty years ago.
August 22, 2021
Any apologies from those here who supported Biden ?
A pity Trumpâs notable peace initiatives with Israel and North Korea are being dismantled now we no longer have adults in charge in the White House.
August 22, 2021
The Trump bad therefore Biden good narrative; has been shown for the logical fallacy it always was.
August 22, 2021
Indeed an appalling decision and appallingly executed too.
Trump also pointed to the possibility of Covid being a Wuhan lab leak then rubbished by most of the mainstream media. He was/is also sound on the absurd climate alarmism exaggerations and net zero non solutions lunacy. Modest with it too!
It seems now that this is almost certainly the lab leak after gain of function experimentation/ âtrainingâ of the bat virus on human cells is what happened.
August 22, 2021
Lifelogic,
âan appalling decision and appallingly executed too.â
No a very sensible decision and, oddly enough, in line with a paleoconservative, isolationist outlook.
Keep other countries at a distance and avoid being drawn into dangerous and extremely expensive conflicts. This may be difficult to implement, with arms manufacturers keen to make money and warmongers/regime changers always looking for another battle to fight. John Bolton is one example.
The implementation of this was where Biden failed.
People and expensive resources should have been safely and methodically removed and the country effectively sealed off from any possibility of incurring damage to Western interests. Refugees should not have been accepted. They are better suited to the other âstansâ.
August 22, 2021
I was not in favour of the Blair invasion, but to leave now and do so in such an incompetent way is appalling.
August 22, 2021
Thereâs only really one solution to this.
And I dare say, given enough men and arms, it will have to come.
Despite the fact that years of weakening propaganda have all but abolished our appetite for war.
The spectre of an invading force armed with M16 assault rifles, driving across Europe in humvees might just change that!
No doubt in the face of what Biden has done the U.K. government will decide on immediate disarmament.
August 22, 2021
@EH; “Despite the fact that years of weakening propaganda have all but abolished our appetite for war.”
No, what has all but abolished our appetite for war is the spread of nuclear weapons and the concept of MAD, the real madness is to think anything different.
Who was it who is reported to have said “To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war. “?
August 22, 2021
That quotation seems to be disputed now?
I totally agree with you re MAD âŠof course that is WHY we have proxy wars like in Afghanistan.
However, it has become increasingly difficult to whip up support for those.
As I suggested, an army marching across Europe, armed to the teeth might concentrate the mind?
Surely?
August 23, 2021
@EH; “That [Churchillian] quotation seems to be disputed now?”
By who, those on the hard right for who it has become an inconvenience? In the same way as some on the right not only want(ed) the UK out of the EU but want the EU to collapse in on its self, even though it was the same sensible man (Churchill) who encouraged such a European union between bordering and similar peoples.
“an army marching across Europe, armed to the teeth might concentrate the mind?”
Well yes! Only trouble being, if it’s marching East who knows what the Russian Federation might do, if marching West who knows what a hard right-wing POTUS might do in the name of NATO, either way I doubt such a marching army will bring peace, unless marching back the way they came…
August 22, 2021
@Roy Grainger; Why should Democrats apologise for a Trump era policy and announcement?! Sure Biden should have rowed back on such stupidity, but given the fact that was none of the usual post election transition period who knows what policies the Trump administration might have stitched up to make irreversible or even to entrap.
Just for the record, was I a US citizen with a vote, I would have voted for Trump in 2016, but would have voted for Biden in 2020, only because the Republican Party had refused to dump failing, floundering, l**ng, Trump when they should, going on to choose any number of more qualified Senators or Business leaders as their nomination, or even endorsing Pence to run for President with his pick of running mate. It is Trump and his supporters who need to do the apologising, and by the shovel full, for the emerging omni-shambles. The way some Trump supporters talk one might think Biden was in his 17th month as POTUS, not his 7th.
As for Israel and North Korea, Trump doing/giving 100% of whatever they want is not peace giving nor adult, such single-sides stupidity only causes other problems or even wars.
August 22, 2021
Let’s not fall into the trap into believing that the decision to remove all US forces from Afghanistan was a decision taken by Biden and Biden alone.
I believe Biden is both intellectually and politically incapable of making such a decision and that his actions are directed by others with a more focused domestic agenda involving the erosion of democratic accountability and the installation of a system financed by the US taxpayer, under the guise of the Democrat’s sinister BBB and infrastructure investment plan, that expands the size and depth of the political client state now loyal to the laughably titled Democrats. The US is on the cusp of something very unpleasant especially if Biden is ‘removed’ which I suspect is a distinct possibility.
The Chinese and to a lesser degree Russia will fill the void left by Biden who will eagerly seek to exploit the economic and political opportunity offered by engaging with the Taliban. The country is home to huge natural resource potential from coal to REMs. That engagement will bring stability and solidity to this country though that’s no consolation to those seeking a freer and less religious environment in which to live
August 22, 2021
It’s in the interests of some to misrepresent the recent actions as Biden’s decision alone.
So that is how they will be reported.
August 22, 2021
MIC. And the same process could be applied to Trumps presidency.. Not a good word to say about him then or now.
August 22, 2021
So where does the buck stop MiC ,apart from the presidents desk.
August 22, 2021
The US electorate will be more concerned about the Covid economic recovery at the mid-terms rather than some place at least half of them couldn’t find on a map.
(NYT Jan. 14, 2019.) “When Mr. Trump first raised the possibility of leaving the [NATO] alliance, senior administration officials were unsure if he was serious. He has returned to the idea several times, officials said increasing their worries. Mr. Trumpâs dislike of alliances abroad and American commitments to international organizations is no secret.
The president [Trump] has repeatedly and publicly challenged or withdrawn from a number of military and economic partnerships, from the Paris climate accord to an Asia-Pacific trade pact. He has questioned the United Statesâ military alliance with South Korea and Japan, and he has announced a withdrawal of American troops from Syria without first consulting allies in the American-led coalition to defeat the Islamic State.”
NATO is nothing without the US. In Afghanistan, the majority of military base infrastructure including base facilities, provisioning and Medevac, is/was supplied by the US. So, now the UK has alienated the US President; the European External Action Service and the European Defence Agency (PESCO); when the Russians do a Crimea on East Anglia, “Who you gonna call, Ghostbusters?”
August 23, 2021
No,the Turnip Taliban!
August 22, 2021
Recent reports state that Biden, a month ago, ignored the advice of USA diplomats based in the ME and Afghanistan that the Taliban would rapidly take over the country if the USA withdrew now and lately, he had, unbelievably, ignored the expert advice of his Top Military men and his Intelligence Chiefs NOT to withdraw those troops, BEFORE ALL USA and Allied citizens had departed the Country. Why were they all ignored?
Sadly, the Western world can no longer look on America to “lead” because they have mentally handicapped President in charge in the Whitehouse and history tells us exactly what can happen next in such circumstances .The UK and the rest of NATO had better start preparing for the worst. Potus has shown himself unfit for any purpose but I’d like to know what does the pro-Trump American military think of their status now?
August 22, 2021
The potential good thing when Biden got elected was he would work much more with allies. Trumps unilateralism – eg the fatuous and self-defeating tariffs against China – was bad policy. But it seems not. Biden is showing himself to be dangerously useless, Afghanistan is unlikely to be the last place now where see the Westâs interests and security undermined. Iran will be hugely emboldened by this, and Biden seems not to want to acknowledge the diplomatic triumph of the trump admins Abraham accords. Letâs hope we get away without an invasion of Taiwan before someone sensible takes over again.
August 22, 2021
Blair is right. âImbecilicâ is the right word for Bidenâs Afghanistan fiasco. Trump was far from ideal, but it is impossible to believe that, advised by the likes of Mike Pompeo, he would have brought about such an utter disaster. As is pointed out by Calvin Robinson today, we cannot afford a woke leftist as US President (albeit one whoâs woke leftism was acquired to get the democratic nomination).
August 22, 2021
Agreed. To pull out troops first then try to fly out the ones in danger and his own and our citizens who are still having trouble getting out was crazy. Anyone in full possession of his faculties would never do that, but we know that every time Biden appears (although he disappeared for a week) he appears bewildered and has now taken to not answering questions even from his tame MSM.
August 22, 2021
+1
August 22, 2021
Unusually, I partly agree with Tony Blair.
I voted for him in 1997 – anything to get the Tories out by that point – but didnât ever vote for him again.
The only three mass protests I have been on were the one against Thatcherâs Poll Tax, the one against Blairâs Iraq War and ones against Tory pensioner Brexit. I was right on all three.
Anyway Mr Blair points out that out of Europe and without the US support the U.K. risks being a second rate global power. I only partly agree because we are already a second rate global power. It has already happened. Nobody cares what Brexit Britain says or does.
Mr Biden, for one, isnât interested in what any Tory MPs think.
August 22, 2021
Why would anyone want to be a âfirst rate global powerâ? Whatâs the point of it?
What was wrong with the poll tax? At that time my mum lived on her own. Her neighbour was a woman with 4 adult children living there. They paid the same rates – and, now, would pay the same council tax. Why? One person consumes a lot less local services than 5 people. I could never understand the pathological hatred of the poll tax. It was fairer than rates or council tax.
I pay water rates. It is metered. Seems fair enough to me. I and my wife probably consume half the water that my neighbour with two adult children at home does. Seems only fair we pay for the water we use. But, apparently, not fair when it comes to our dustbins being collected. We only produce half the waste.
August 22, 2021
It was the fact that people like Andy didn’t want to pay their share as they never had up to then. As usual the loudest, crudest voices like Andy’s carry the day.
August 22, 2021
Ironic because, despite being 30 years younger than you, I have already paid far more into the system than you ever have or ever will.
Unlike the tax dodging billionaires who fund the parties and causes you support, I believe those of us with the broadest shoulders should help those of you who are less fortunate.
August 22, 2021
Yet you would throw millions into destitution when you achieve your desire to scrap the old aged pension.
August 23, 2021
How do you know? You have no idea at all of what I did or earned. I paid in for at least twice as long as you have, did not cash in with a university education or any of the other things we paid for you to have. As usual you think of something you think is insulting and think it is fact. You are very short in the thinking dept. for someone who brags of being educated.
August 22, 2021
Totally agree Mike. The community charge was a much fairer system, what a pity Mrs. T wasnât allowed to see it through. Council tax is one of the most unfair taxes of all and takes no account of ones ability to pay or income. Only Andy and our useless politicians, who no doubt can stick their council tax on their expenses, would think what we have now is fairer than Mrs. Tâs community charge.
August 22, 2021
Mike
I also agree the Poll tax was a much fairer system, and at the time there were 4 people in our family house, so I have no axe to grind.
Never understood what the protests were all about.
Individuals use the services, so individuals should pay.
If one person wants to pay it for all of the family and in their names, its no problem either.
Helps people be made aware that Council services are not free.
August 22, 2021
Alan – – “Council services are not free “- – they are to those who arrive with hands out. Their non contributed to benefits are our taxes. Their non working, non tax paying, house taking, NHS using, school place taking, household waste producing, sewage producing lives here ARE totally free – – TO THEM.
August 22, 2021
Mike W: +10
August 22, 2021
Ever deluded in righteousness.
August 22, 2021
Agricola – such a patriot he moved to Spain.
August 22, 2021
@Andy; You are totally deluded if you think Brexit happen because of the “Blue Pensioner” vote, nor did the so called Red Wall fall due to the pensioner vote either, there was never a big enough pensioner vote (even allowing for the early baby-boomer generation who are now retiring), one of the biggest lies told (by remain) about Brexit has been that no young person wanted or vote for Brexit.
August 22, 2021
Of course a smattering of young people voted leave – usually the thick ones. But as study after study has shown Brexit was predominantly a vote of the old and the uneducated. This is a simple statement of fact.
August 22, 2021
Love you lefties calling voters thick if they don’t agree with you.
No wonder Labour got its worst result since 1935.
We do listen to what you all say about us andy.
August 22, 2021
Andy
Clearly you think that there are more thick, old and uneducated people in the UK, than young educated Andy.
Says a lot about our education system then, would you prefer even more left wing woke indoctrination perhaps ?
August 22, 2021
@Andy; No, that was not a statement of fact, just another ill-thought through assertion from you. Many young people understand the complex issues of Brexit far more than you do, be they Remain or Leave supporters. What is more, rather than sounding like British youth your comments read far more like those from (anti Brexit) ex-pat British pensioners, scared that Brexit will mean they’ll need to formalise their retirement/residency arrangements properly, rather than relying on the good will of EU health care cards etc. and the unlimited freedom to travel, less they be forced to return home for not having the proper paperwork they should have got years ago!
August 22, 2021
It is, andy.
August 22, 2021
‘I voted for him in 1997 â anything to get the Tories out by that point â but didnât ever vote for him again.’
Ah – -the simplist view of politics of the young – it is the same now, and was over Brexit. You were not alone Andy, our 3 children all thought it can only get better, but it didn’t did it? A tough lesson to learn.
Never mind most of you grew up, well perhaps the obvious didn’t.
August 22, 2021
Whatâs wrong with being a âsecond rate global powerâ, many countries are and many of them are wealthy, healthy and progressive
I donât see any need to âpunch higher than our weightâ, we donât need world approval we need domestic approval â many MPs forget that
August 22, 2021
+1
August 22, 2021
Thereâs nothing wrong with being a second rate global power. Weâve been a second rate global power for 75 years.
But nobody told the Brexitists, the Baby Boomers or the Conservative Party who all have misguided delusions of grandeur that the U.K. still matters.
August 22, 2021
I think you have the misguided delusion that, when we were members of the EU, we were one of the âbig 3â. Odd really, when it was supposed to be a union of 28 equal partners. But you, oddly, thought we had some special position. Of course, we didnât.
August 23, 2021
Tory UK repeatedly threw away its potentially huge influence in the European Union by constantly stirring up squabbles over trivia there, to quicken the pulses of its xenophobic vote here, as a lazy way of keeping the votes of silly people.
It was a colossal waste.
August 22, 2021
Andy
“the U.K. risks being a second rate global power.”
That is what we want, we shouldn’t be concerned with the rest of the world’s problems.
August 22, 2021
You do realise that your voting for Tony Blair is what caused Brexit. Had it not been for him there’s a good chance our membership would never have been in question (though Major should share that blame equally.)
August 22, 2021
Seems like you think that leaving is a Bad Thing.
August 22, 2021
It seems to me that we are only a second rate power, until they want our Aid/Money. Then we are part of the âInternational Communityâ and have a âmoral responsibilityâ to help.
Frankly, I no longer care if we are a second rate power, as long as we look after our own people, and protect our history and culture. If our Governments stopped trying to save the World, maybe we could make some progress with that.
August 22, 2021
Well said Cheshire Girl
August 22, 2021
+1
August 22, 2021
Biden will be a disaster for the USA and the world at large.
We don’t actually know who is pulling his strings but he certainly isn’t capable of governing himself.
His VP is a washout so who is actually benefitting from this carnage.
There will be no net zero in the USA just here in little old Britain governed by arts graduates and charlatans.
August 22, 2021
I sad here at the time and am still convinced that Biden was put up as the acceptable face to be elected and that within 2 years he would retire on health grounds so his VP could become president. She would never get elected on her own and her being president is a great danger.
August 23, 2021
I strongly agree with you !
August 22, 2021
To be fair, everybody knew that the Americans were going to pull out of Afghan. What surprised the world was the unexpectedly rapid advance of the Talibs, once it was known that the US Bagram airbase had been evacuated. Especially when it was known that the Afghan president Ashraf Ghani had fled the country, taking tremendous quantities of cash with him.
Despite Trump having initiated the Doha capitulation talks with their 20-year enemy, yesterday at a rally for thousands of supporters in Alabama he claimed that the situation was “the greatest military defeat of all time” and “a humiliation”, claiming it’s not a withdrawal but rather “a total surrender” – which is typical Trump working the crowd.
Indeed, Biden has made a major geopolitical error by ordering the Afghan withdrawal without adequate consultation with NATO or us. The Russians, Chinese and especially Iran cannot believe their good fortune in the spectacle of an elderly gent with a stammer being more interested in the mid-term elections than playing the great game with them. Nuclear bomb test at Christmas anyone?
And all this after Johnson has subjected our military to the most savage defence cuts in the last 50 years to pay for the ÂŁ37billions he blew on Dido Harding’s botched Test And Trace debacle.
August 22, 2021
The talks between Pompeo and the Taliban were conditional and withdrawal of Westerners and Afghans working for them would have been gradual and organised. The Democrat clowns announced withdrawal without conditions perhaps thinking that an Afghan army without support would fight. Most of they realised that their high losses would be higher, the pay had disappeared and they took the Taliban money and ran back to their tribal areas. Now Westerners are being searched for and murdered, thanks to a senile president and his incompetent deputies.
August 22, 2021
They’ve been cutting our forces for years. They even wanted the Terriers to fill the gap, to do it on the cheap but that failed. Saying they are doing it because of the dud T&T debacle is ludicrous and does you no credit.
August 22, 2021
Those âTerriersâ were engaged on Full Commitment (overseas) Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) and during the last ten years accounted for 10-15% of the British army in AfghanistanâŠ.dam right on the cheap
August 22, 2021
”ÂŁ37billions he blew on Dido Hardingâs botched Test And Trace debacle”
I still can’t believe that we’ve spent so much for so little and yet no MP appears to be taking the government to task nor asking questions in the house….ÂŁ37 billion
August 22, 2021
Glen – – ÂŁ37bn on that – no probs – – god knows how many ÂŁbn spent on migrants – and it grows every day – clearly nobody in charge of stopping it.
August 22, 2021
B N
Being suggested 800 arrived yesterday, a new daily record, it’s now 11,500 so far this year in rubber dinghies, may make 15,000 before the year end, just about double last years total.
Add to that the thousands who we take in through the proper legal channels.
We have now given promises to Hong Kong, and Afghanistan, and refugees in Lebanon Camps.
I see in todays press that Local authorities are now purchasing houses on the open market because they do not have enough stock for all those in need, its no wonder if we are getting thousands of illegals every year, the vast majority who are never sent back, on top of those who are legal arrivals.
August 22, 2021
Interesting to see some reporting in The Sunday Times suggesting that a Defence Review only months old might have to be re-worked, because America can’t be relied upon.
August 23, 2021
You of all people should question whether ‘America canât be relied upon.’
Should read American Presidents…… I think you will find the average American will stand shoulder to shoulder when required.
August 22, 2021
Sakara, the Bagram base contained most of the roughly 3,000 remaining US troops in Afghanistan. At a planning meeting in late April following Biden’s unconditional pullout announcement, the US military command set July 4 as the withdrawal date, according to the New York Times. As you say, as soon as it became known that almost all US forces in Afghanistan had left, it was obvious the Taliban would take over. The ‘Afghanistan Papers’ published in the Washington Post in December 2019 had already told the grim truth about the Afghan puppet government’s make-believe army, which was clearly going to collapse like a house of cards as soon as the Americans had gone. So yes, why did it ‘surprise the world’ when that happened? Maybe because the Washington Post revelations were ignored, and Biden’s White House spin doctors and their fawning supporters in the media were believed instead.
August 22, 2021
Defending the very democracy of the US itself from destruction and the rule of law would be rather significant departures from Trump’s maladministration.
August 22, 2021
Trump wasn’t perfect but he was a better president than the one America has lumbered itself with. Congress will flip next year – and a Republican will be in the White House in January 2025.
August 22, 2021
Yes, maybe, and no doubt the Democrats would acknowledge such an election result as legal and fair – as given the oversights, as ever, it would be.
Do you get the difference?
August 22, 2021
Is it really any surprise that a politician has made promises to get votes, then does something different when in power.
Not just in America, but the World over.
August 22, 2021
So strange.
My great grandmother had a huge picture of âDaniel in the Lionsâ Denâ in her hall.
The Christian ideal of faith defeating those who would harm you.
The Left which is endlessly, viciously and without censor beyond rude about Christianity, shows precisely the same belief set.
Except that it looks like they will get eaten after what Biden has done.
August 22, 2021
Daniel is a Hebraic tale, from long before the time of Christ.
August 22, 2021
It didn’t happen.
So the Left WILL be eaten.
August 22, 2021
It’s comical, that you think that the Democrats are “left wing”.
August 22, 2021
What Bernie and Kamala are now right wing?
Who knew…
August 22, 2021
Hi Peter, my faithful friend.
No, I didn’t say that.
Do you understand the meaning of the word “relative”?
It seems not.
August 22, 2021
+1
August 23, 2021
You need to use the word “relative” MiC if you wish to convey that term in your statement “its comical that you think the Democrats are now left wing”
Do you understand how communication works?
It seems not.
August 23, 2021
With people like you P2 who consider that everybody not agreeing with your profound thoughts is a âleftieâ, I find extremely funny you question how some people might understand communication. How was it? Kettle and pot? Straw and beam?
Have you ever considered the possibility of letting a few hours pass after reading a comment before going on with your own comment?
August 23, 2021
Oh hello again hef.
Thanks for your post.
Take your own advice is my reply.
August 23, 2021
Further to that post of mine heffy, and having allowed a few hours to pass as you have recommended, I would ask you to tell me how one can deduce from MiC’s original post that he meant to communicate the word “relative” without actually putting that word, important for his real meaning, into his post.
You like accuracy and facts.
You have encouraged me to do this and this why I responded as I did.
August 22, 2021
Well heâs in my Bible.
In the OT which is based on the 24 books of the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible.
Have a look in yours between Ezekiel and Hosea.
Daniel is a Christian Prophet who foretold the coming of The Messiah.
August 22, 2021
What if Biden does not survive as President (for whatever reason)? My understanding is that the succession is the Vice President, Kamala Harris, followed by the Leader of the Senate, Nancy Pelosi. What could possibly go wrong with either of these two in charge?
August 22, 2021
@ oldtimer – not the Senate leader, rather the leader of the House of Representatives. Following a constitutional amendment, appointment to a vacancy in the VP job no longer has to await the subsequent scheduled national election but can be filled by the president nominating someone meeting the qualifications and confirmed by the Senate. Gerald Ford was the first to be so appointed, after Spiro Agnew’s resignation.
One cause for hope in respect of Harris is that amidst the smears following her pick by Biden, the only one that seemed well-grounded was that she is an opportunist. That quality may well be a substantial asset in a president.
August 22, 2021
Perhaps the solution would be the next Leader of the Senate after the mid terms?
August 22, 2021
The difference between Trump and Biden on Afghanistan, according to what I’ve read, is that last year Trump made troop withdrawal conditional on the Taliban keeping to an agreed protocol. But in April, Biden announced an unconditional withdrawal of US troops.
But I would not be too hard on Biden. What happened was pretty much inevitable, and his announcement in April was well received by the US public.
August 22, 2021
‘Well received by the public’
And therein lies the true reason. He doesn’t give a stuff for humanitarian considerations, elections are coming up.
August 22, 2021
graham1946: I see Emmanuel Macron and Mrs May feel the same as you.
Mrs May asked:âWhat does it say about NATO if we are entirely dependent on a unilateral decision taken by the United States?â It says, Theresa, we are entirely dependent on a unilateral decision taken by the United States. And pretty much have been, since Suez.
August 22, 2021
In the light of the Afghanistan situation, I wonder if the reality of a certain disputed election is becoming clearer in the minds of those who supported the outcome?
August 22, 2021
Like everything now, itâs all political⊠Trump didnât tow the global line, so he had to go. There were tens of thousands of useful idiots who didnât like him, here and in the USAâŠand I believe the vote was fixed. So he is gone.
But look what a great job the Democrats have done! Some of the Telegraph readers believe itâs a deliberate ploy to destroy USA and then the west, for the great reset to occur. I donât know, but what an almighty mess! Thereâs going to have to be some grown up thinking to sort it all out, if it even can be. Thereâs a fair few countries (including China) rubbing their hands with glee! WW3!
August 22, 2021
+1
August 22, 2021
A related question
When Johnson gave Raab permission to leave the UK on holiday did he know at that point that Biden intended to remove US forces from Afghanistan? I believe Johnson did know that US forces were about to be pulled
It is my belief that Johnson fears a leadership challenge from someone like Raab. If Johnson can engineer a situation that damages the standing of Raab then he will
I always focus on the timeline of events and you tend to see when you stand back subtle coordination that reveals hidden intent
Johnson is destroying our nation, our freedoms and our culture. His and his party’s complete capitulation to the Democrats racialist agenda, the UK race lobby and their plan to bring down and demonise Trump and all and anyone who dares to align themselves with him is laying the foundations of a system based on collective punishment, demonisation of the majority and immersion in racial politics
It is simply unacceptable that we should be exposed to CRT infused racial propaganda
Raab was forced to apologise to attacking BLM Marxist symbolism. Yes, a British Foreign Secretary publicly apologising for rejecting Marxism. The UK is utterly screwed when these poisonous POLITICAL parasites infect our culture
That is the power of the Democrats that now control the actions of Johnson.
August 22, 2021
I’d be more inclined to think Gove is briefing against Raab. Hancock has gone (one potential opponent) and now Raab’s being undermined.
Gove has form in knifing colleagues.
August 23, 2021
+1
August 22, 2021
DOM, +, profoundly true
August 22, 2021
Good morning.
What must be worrying for some, is can President Biden be trusted to standby those who are allies if the USA and are under threat ? Namely, South Korea and Taiwan.
We also have a President that has lost the trust and confidence of his staff who are contradicting whatever he says. I am seeing daily US News outlets that were once very sympathetic to President Biden and the Democratic Party now openly criticising him. The man is not even into his first year and the wheels are already coming off.
I spoke to my elderly neighbours yesterday. They have quite a few relatives out in the USA and some voted for President Biden. Apparently fuel and energy prices are going through the roof and these people are regretting their voting for the man. I think if things continue as bad as this I fear that President Biden will be asked, or even perhaps made, to stand down and let Vice President Harris take the reigns. If that does not happen sooner expect it to happen, as both I and others here have stated, after they lose both Houses late next year.
Time to sound out the US Government and VP Harris methinks đ
August 22, 2021
Biden gave Harris responsibility for sorting out the Southern border and she has been completely ineffective and the problem just gets worse. She has also been shown as not being on top of her briefs.
I suspect that Harris might turn out to be even more useless than Biden.
August 22, 2021
You’ll have to explain the meaning behind the title:
Biden has ruined everything good that Trump achieved, and it was substantial.
It was said that Bin Laden wanted to kill obama to make Biden president as Biden would be such a screwup, which he certainly is.
August 22, 2021
I would guess Biden and Trump minus a P.
August 22, 2021
Do we need to Bump or have someone who will Triden?
August 22, 2021
I guess it’s Truden we have a B(l)imp.
August 22, 2021
From 2002 to 2016 I spent the winter months in America and as far as Mr Average American was concerned the Middle East could have been a location on Mars. The hunt and demise of Bin Laden was covered in detail but the complexity of relationships between the various powers meant nothing. Biden is a perfect example of Mr Average so it is not surprising that he has made a complete hash of a sensible policy set up by Trump. He followed the popular theme ”to bring the troops home” without any thought for the timing or the consequences.
This is the second major crisis that has been dumped on our PM since he came into office 20 months ago and given time he will circumvent the appalling decisions Biden has taken and start to develop an acceptable plan for the Middle East. He did it with Covid and he will sort this mess out.
In the meantime can we stop these utterly childish stories of when and who should make telephone calls in the Foreign Office and whilst on that topic could someone explain what was wrong in General Carter referring to the Taliban as ‘country boys’? They have lived in the mountains for centuries and every time another nation has tried to stabilize the country they have retreated to the hills until the invaders have left.
August 22, 2021
Our host has forgotten the fourth, and probably clinching, policy difference between Biden and Trump, how to tackle the countries CV19 epidemic. Did the all important floating voter in the USA really want Biden/Harris, probably not, but they wanted Trump/Pence even less by Nov. 2020 – anyone but Trump, just as in 2016 it had been “Anyone but Hillary”. Both the Democrats and Republicans had far better qualified candidates, in both 2016 and 2020… đ
Biden takes more of a Roosevelt, than Hoover, approach to economic polices and problems, but again Biden simply repackaged much from the the 2016 Trump campaign, making the same promises, the renewal of highway bridges, the modernisation of the US electrical distribution grid etc. but the difference is Biden actually believes in the polices, for him they are not just for
ChristmasElection Day!August 22, 2021
As for Afghanistan, our host is spinning the time-line somewhat, Trump signalled the US/NATO withdrawal, thus it was Trump who upset NATO, he also did the same with regards the US presence in Europe, by threatening to withdraw, not stand-by, previous commitments. Of course the Taliban played along with what the Trump administration asked for and expected, knowing full well once the US and NATO forces left the only barrier between retaking control of the country would be the poorly motivated Afghan govt forces. Mr Trump must have known how under-trained, under-motivated the Afghan govt forces were, when he announced his policy of withdrawal, there has been no sudden collapse of ability or moral.
Yes, the buck stops with Biden, and he is no doubt going to take the political blame, he is the incumbent [1], he could have modified or scrapped these Trump era policies, even at such a late stage, but that would also have caused problems, perhaps even more so beyond the Afghan boarders.
[1] in the same way as Nixon took the heat for the Vietnam war
Reply Biden dropped the conditionality in Trumps agreement. trump did not withdraw the forces in the months after signing the agreement because the conditions were not met.
August 23, 2021
@JR reply; Six hours, six days, six weeks, six months, six years, (perhaps even six decades), the Taliban would have played along with whatever the US timetable was, the problem was the basic Trump era policy of withdrawal.
If I was for conspiracy theories … As I implied in another comment, we do not know what if anything the Trump administration did between 4th Nov. 2020 and 19th Jan 2021, I for one would not put it past Trump to have knowingly entrapped the incoming administration. Also how interesting it is to observe, whilst most of the worlds media is focusing on the unfolding humanitarian crisis much of the hard right (US) media is pushing the “blame game” in preference, knowing full well how vital the upcoming (special) mid-term House elections in just over two months time are.
Reply Trump only offered withdrawal for after the Taliban had agreed a peaceful settlement with the Afghan government!
August 23, 2021
@JR reply; That’s my point. Of course the Taliban were going to “agree”, whatever it takes so the US and NATO forces leave ‘their’ country, but can we trust the Taliban to honour any such agreement, not according to the media/political pundits being rolled out each and every hour on the news channels!
So why did Trump ever think he could negotiate with the Taliban, but then this was not the first time Trump thought he could do what no other world politician could, he tried the same stunt with N.Korea – Henry Kissinger he is not…
August 22, 2021
Biden’s actions in Afghanistan will have far reaching consequences. He has signalled within NATO that he cannot be trusted specifically on this side of the Atlantic. I suspect his military are all too aware of the damage he has done. The only forces of consequence in Europe are the UK and France who now need to find an accommodation to ensure the security of Europe.
Beyond Europe he has opened the door to all the chancers such as Russia and China who are constantly pushing to provoke. He needs to strengthen the US presence in S Korea and Taiwan to ensure aggressive repulsion of Chinese incursions. There should be a presence among the artificial islands of the South China Sea, a name that does not imply Chinese control of it.
Frankly I think we are in for a very bumpy ride for as long as Biden is around. The key is the US economy which under his control is an unknown.
August 22, 2021
Can we get real about Biden and Afghanistan? By the time he came to power in January, the US had only 2,500 troops still there. With such a small force, there was not the slightest chance he could have done anything to stop the Taliban takeover. His option would have been to increase US troops on the ground substantially as Trump did in 2017, and then resume fighting the Taliban. But of course he could not do that and continue America’s longest and probably most unpopular war.
I hold no brief for Biden. I reckon it was a tragedy for America that they elected a man who belongs in a retirement home. But whether Trump could have better handled the scenes of panic in Kabul that were bound to happen, I very much doubt.
August 23, 2021
Macron has on more then one occasion called NATO brain dead”;he wants an accomodation with Russia for a continent wide security structure which will effectively mean the end of NATO(though no doubt the latter’s well upholstered bureaucracy will not vote itself out of existence)and the end of Anglo-American influence in Europe.
August 22, 2021
It seems that Kamala (“Chuckles”) Harris is behind the plot to get Biden elected. Word will soon go out to her allies in the media that Dopey Joe’s teleprompter will fail in the middle of a significant speech.
The ensuing debacle will be used as the reason for her rise to power.
Before that happens we must forge links with her team.
August 22, 2021
I think we should forge links with anyone except USA.
August 22, 2021
Biden was given such an easy ride to the Presidency because almost the entire US media corps was against a second term for Donald Trump. They never asked Biden any serious questions or put him under any pressure. As a result, his suitability for the office was never properly tested. They weren’t worried because, after all, he couldn’t be any worse than Trump, could he ? The Wokest half of the press corps almost certainly hoped that Biden would become incapacitated and replaced by Harris. She has turned out to be just as ineffective.
So we now have the free world led by two people, neither of whom is up to the job. We have to hope that the World can survive more than another three years with Biden in office but not in charge. But what or who comes next ? After this debacle, would enough US voters go for Trump ?
August 22, 2021
The entire US media corps: Are you forgetting the US Murdoch media, like Fox?
August 22, 2021
I said ALMOST the entire US media corps.
Do keep up…………………
August 22, 2021
Much is made of the takeover of Afghanistan to the Taliban following the US withdrawal. I’m wondering whether the takeover only really concerned the major cities, the provinces already having been under Taliban control.
Were the atrocities already going on, just that the regime having gone into the cities they come within view of the western press?
August 22, 2021
Correct – NATO forces stopped patrolling outside cities 2 years ago, and it appears the Nation Afghan Army didn’t patrol at all
August 23, 2021
shades of N.Ireland?
August 22, 2021
For the first time in 20+ years I actually agreed with Blair.
Biden’s behaviour has been imbecilic and he is clearly suffering from advanced cognitive decline. When he goes off the script written for him he can barely construct a real sentence.
All those Democrat Party Grandees, Washington Swamp Members and American Media who promoted his candidacy could not have failed to know his condition. They are just as culpable as Biden himself who – arguably – can’t really be blamed for the moronic decisions which have been made in his name.
The lesson which the UK must learn from this debacle is that America is NOT a reliable and trustworthy ally. We must never again get involved in one of their “foreign adventures.”
August 22, 2021
O/T
800 “stopped” in the Channel yesterday.
Could our Home Secretary PLEASE stop using the word “stopped” ???
The Tories have abolished Britain. Admit it.
August 22, 2021
Itâs a national disgrace
August 22, 2021
Glen – If it is such a disgrace – why is PP still in the job? She is doing what she has been told to do – flood this country. She is a great success. And what of her sidekick – Dan O Mahoney – remember him?
August 22, 2021
I have forecast a number of times the Tories will bring across maybe 50,000 this year – seems like it will happen. They have no shame. They have no courage and no wish to defend England’s shore and culture. They only provide support to foreign invaders who it seems will be resettled in every town and village. Our destruction is being organised – by your party and government Sir John, to which you give total allegiance.
August 22, 2021
Either that or “intercepted”
It would be far more truthful to use the word escorted or ferried.
I don’t know why we don’t give up the pretence and just lay on a cross channel ferry for anyone who wants to come. We could charge them half what they are paying the Albanian Mafia for their fare to pay for their journey. It would at least be more honest.
August 22, 2021
Where the hell is it all going to end? I find it hard to believe the numbers. Will the be any free hotels left at this rate and why are we paying useless, conspiring France?
August 22, 2021
Don’t be too hard on the French. They are routinely breaking human rights laws on their eastern border to deter migrants. The anglophone mass media doesn’t pick up the intimidation of human rights investigators, so they don’t get taken to the ECHR and no one hears about it either.
If we did what the French are doing, it would be blasted all over the media.
August 23, 2021
Evidence, please.
August 23, 2021
Thats a cracker coming from you!
August 22, 2021
We have no southern border and I suspect the same is the case at the airports.
Our rulers are traitors, as in the United States since January. This, the open borders and Afghanistan in America, is not neglect or stupidity, it is deliberate.
You are right, these traitors have abolished Britain.
August 22, 2021
The Tory betrayal of Britain has never been so clearly exposed.
And you are right – the word ‘stopped’ is deceitful. They have been HELPED to come here. It is beyond disgraceful. It makes one sick.
August 22, 2021
US Presidents Trump and Biden might be on to something â stop giving handouts & aid to the world and get those countries to start looking after themselves; build sustainability and a schedule for self reliance
August 22, 2021
The US has to a certain extent a common thread with the UK running through the Country. Both countries are now dominated with left wing agitators in a predominantly left wing dictating media. It is the media that is setting the agendas and not the people, not the people through there elected representatives.
Biden like Boris is repeating what their media friends are dictating. The however, is were as Biden will struggle with the House of Representatives and the Senate and will have to keep an eye of the mid-terms around the corner. Boris is unfettered, not answerable and like most in the HoC not properly held to account and responsible for odd ball actions – oops! is the accepted get out. Biden will look after the US economy Boris will not look after the UK’s.
I am not a fan of Biden, I think his knee jerk actions in Afghanistan without talking to those he is in league and partnered with is insulting. When the next time comes around the US may find international support lacking. The good thing, although it will be ignored, it has reminded the UK that it needs as an imperative to become self sufficient and reliant so that it cant be hung out to dry.
The way forward for the UK is as it always is, is a ‘strong economy’, a resilient economy, a self contained economy. Then again we have a very left wing self centered leader that is trying to enforce the impossible, therefore destroy what is left of the UK economy.
August 22, 2021
NLA above – ‘ Stopped ‘ makes a change from ‘ Intercepted ‘ I suppose. Yes, the orig. estimated 600 yesterday has become nearer 800. Apparently channel weather was not great last week. The last report I saw until this one was 285 on August 15. But with so called chain migration, as we all know, that 800 masks the reality.
Stateside, I just still have that picture to mind, more so this last week, put out in the media after the US election, Ms Harris on her mobile phone saying âWe did it Joe, we did it !â And how.
August 22, 2021
The UK is now the pull factor for immigration across europe
Just publically send one boat back to France and it will all stop
August 22, 2021
start towing them back into French waters.
Film it for the tv news…..
The Frogs will get really mad but maybe things might change.
August 22, 2021
Fully agree
August 22, 2021
John, you are guilty of British understatement in saying the Biden precipitate withdrawal is “unfortunate”, it is actually catastrophic. Also Biden has acted against US oil interests, he has stopped the $9 billion Keystone XL pipeline project.
This mess goes back a long way. A better response to 9/11 would have been a swift incursion by marines to take out the Al Qaeda criminals, rather than a NATO invasion. Even further back, should have let the Russians deal with the warlords and be done with it. Mistake after mistake after mistake.
August 22, 2021
+1
August 22, 2021
Sir John,
Seven months since his inauguration and it is obvious that Joe Biden is not up to the job. Kamala Harris even less so. I’m no fan of Biden but I hope he manages to last out the remainder of his term in office, even if it only consists of him being wheeled out occasionally to try to read from an autocue. Otherwise we will end up with a Harris/Pelosi administration which nobody voted for, and doesn’t bear thinking about.
August 22, 2021
It’s always made me laugh how the Left (which obviously includes most of the media and even, less obviously, some Tory MPs) have always praised Democratic Presidents, despite the fact that these have nothing whatsoever to recommend them. Why was Obama so popular in the UK, for instance, when he came into office with no track record of success and proceeded to achieve even less while President? And now Biden: an ageing politician who has done nothing noteworthy in his life to date and is clearly going to continue with this same level of uselessness in the future. Anyone who has any faith in any Democratic politician needs to have his head examined. All the post-war Democratic Presidents have been utter garbage. Truman, Carter, Clinton, Obama and Biden: their attrocious records speak for themselves.
August 22, 2021
+1, reason does not seem to play any part in it.
August 22, 2021
What a wonderful opportunity for China to annex Taiwan. I foresee China slowly putting on the squeeze to Taiwan and test President Bidenâs resolve. Biden will probably back down and Taiwan will fall. Of course he may want to start WWIII. The Royal Navy and other NATO ships should quietly sail out of the area to avoid being sucked in to Bidenâs war. China will not let this opportunity go.
August 22, 2021
I’ll defo be testing the water
August 23, 2021
Taiwan is not independent so,technically, it cannot be annexed;it will in due course re-join it’s motherland.And probably peacefully.
August 22, 2021
I do r agree with what you’re saying
August 22, 2021
Biden is, like Trump was, an American president and as such blessed with the habit of considering all politics domestic. Given that foreign policy is the key area where the Executive has some autonomy, it is quite normal that US presidents use foreign policy instrumentally, to create domestic political advantage. The current and former president have done this in a realist (some would say cynical) way but allies should understand the nature of the US constitutional and political arrangements. The US will not be bound by alliances or morality, simply because that might constitute politcal suicide where institutions allow otherwise. Top politicians are usually (even Trump to a certain extent) rational and self-interested. That is a fact that all democracies should keep in mind.
For NATO allies this is another signal that full military integration with the US is mandatory. Perhaps then the US Executive will accept that some procurement has to take place elsewhere or at least jointly, as the price to achieve a complete standardisation of NATO and a continued US control over C2 and C3 resources. One of the few examples is the Rheinmetall tank gun that ius used on US, German and Korean tanks (and will also be used by Britain. The European countries, Australia and Japan are mere junior partners in an alliance where the US makes the key decisions. No NATO country should be allowed to make war on another member or go to war against third parties without US permission. Non-US members should transfer full external military sovereignty to the US, effectively. Only in that way we can be guaranteed of the US exposing herself to war if another NASTO member is attacked by a non-member (the same should apply to Japan etc). If national elites find this too hard, they should consider alternative arrangements and run the risk to become a US adversary. And that course of action would be stupid policy vs a country with the US’ destructive capacity. Time to tell the electorates what reality means… Besides, this is what made our way of life possible since WWII.
August 22, 2021
So we have fallen out with the US, which now clearly thinks of the UK as a little Trumpy irrelevance and our neighbours detest us. Excellent, we are now the Millwall of the Western world, everyone hates us and we don`t care .
There are indeed many continuities between the usual Democrat position and Trump ,neither of which did I like . Similarly there are many continuities between Brexitism and Corbynism. Both believe in the magic money tree, both believe almost any fiction can be thrown around in service of the Great Cause, both promote on the basis of ideological purity rather than talent, both think making money providing services is immoral…..both think Debt is limitless .
I could go on
August 22, 2021
‘everyone hates us and we don`t care .’
That was always the case. At least we seem to be finding some balls, and friends?
Who needs friends like the ones people thought we had.
August 22, 2021
Twenty years ago, the invasion of Afghanistan followed the allegation that the Taliban were harbouring terrorists, in particular, Osama bin Laden who they blamed for causing buildings one and two of the World Trade Centre to be destroyed by massive explosions. President Bush himself prosecuted the hunt by looking under his desk. Much of the criticism of Biden’s Afghanistan strategy is predicated on the Taliban giving safe haven to ‘al Qaeda’ after the West’s departure.
Twenty years is a long time and a trillion dollars is a lot of money. Afghanistan was changed from a medieval country ruled by warlords with a medieval view of women’s role in society to a modern Western centralised state ruled by an elected President in Kabul and an elected Provincial Council in a society in which women and girls were able to participate fully.
The Taliban opposed the US occupation of their country in much the same way as the Northern Alliance supported by the West, opposed the Soviet occupation.
Now the Taliban are victorious having undermined the stamina of the West and the Northern Alliance is re-grouping to oppose them and the women and girls are back behind burqas.
The Taliban believe in a literal interpretation of the Koran which is common to many of the West’s allies in the Gulf region.
August 22, 2021
Good Christians follow the teachings of bible and lapsed Christians that may follow the principles and values without necessarily obeying each and every edict
Good Muslims follow the teaching of the Koran, no such thing as a lapsed muslin you are either a Muslim or Apostate or Khawarij
August 22, 2021
In both the US and the UK the Marxists, aka the âswampâ, are using their woke policies on identity, immigration and CO2 reduction to destroy our economy, culture and trust in our institutions.
So it is not a surprise to see President Biden, or his handlers, pull the US troops out of Afghanistan in the worst way possible.
It is part of the plan and it was because President Trump was not part of this swamp that made it the top priority for the US and UK MSM to ensure he did not get a second term in office.
August 22, 2021
+1
August 22, 2021
Original Richard – Spot on. The UK Globalist Establishment do not like Donald Trump.
August 22, 2021
The MoS has a very extensive and informative article describing the massive fraud (electoral and financial), corruption, drug dealing, smuggling, sexual slavery and blatant theft which took place in Afghanistan as result of the $trillions of US aid pumped into the country.
The UK also lost ÂŁmillions in aid fraud.
And it is these people who ran Afghanistan as a Kleptocracy who are now fleeing from the Taliban and who our Government desperately wants to bring over to the UK.
Just because Afghans are fleeing from the Taliban does not mean that they are all benign, UK law abiding âasylum seekersâ who will be eventually beneficial and friendly towards our country.
August 23, 2021
If and when we know who these people are will anyone bring them to account? They are thieves and have stolen from taxpayers and charities that have freely given their money to help the general population. They should not be expecting the British taxpayer to fund their transition here in the UK.
August 22, 2021
Cheer up everyone. Our Dear Leader has a cunning plan here, he is ‘ahead of the curve’ as they say. By positively encouraging anyone to come here he is compensating (in advance) for all the people who are going to die of hypothermia as a result of his bat sh1t crazy energy policy.
August 22, 2021
So Carrie does have a plan â I thought she just followed the script issued by XR
August 22, 2021
Biden is not only incompetent in all matters; he is extremely dangerous and not just towards US citizens. The civilised world needs rid of him and his kind.
August 22, 2021
I can recall the attempts to bring down the Trump administration back in 2016 when he won against the regular and ubiquitous ‘advice’ of lefty Celebs, The DNC, The Billionaires Club, the Clintons, Obama, MSN and the new religious sect -Social Media all aka “The Establishment”.
So much did they fear and hate a true American patriot, who only wanted to put the American people and the USA first, they worried they would lose power and $$$. That scenario, to a totalitarian socialist like those, is anathema.
They did not want the people (the plebs) to actually decide for themselves what they should be doing, running their own lives, for the people, as mere plebs, were incapable of doing so.
The Establishment, using their powerful friends with loadsa money with vast resources and dodgy votes, got their man into the Whitehouse instead and won that battle.
A pity then that their man, probably a mere puppet to them, failed from the beginning and now it looks that these despicable manipulators although winning that particular election battle, now have lost their very own America as the World Leader in the new war.
We, over here, do rather look forward to dramatic but favourable change over there, across the ‘pond’ – thus far, uncorrupted..
August 22, 2021
Derek :
Agreed.
It appears we are now run by an Establishment, aka The Swamp, who clearly demonstrate through unpopular policies such as the massive import of unsuitable migrants, woke cultural division and unilateral economy destroying CO2 reduction that they simply do not care for the majority of citizens of our country
For how much longer will this continue?
August 22, 2021
Derek & O.R., +1, and I don’t think that you are wrong
August 22, 2021
We have ALWAYS been run by the Globalist UK Establishment but the Great Awakening has started.
August 23, 2021
“Always” is a very long time.
I can remember in the 70’s and 80’s, ‘Globalisation’ was not on any agenda and GB grew from its ashes left by a socialist Government to be acclaimed across the globe. We recovered all by ourselves but with proper leadership.
I believe the globalisation ‘ball’ was kick started in 1992 when UN Agenda 21 was agreed by the members. This, in the words of George H Bush, heralded “A new world order”. That meant the growing wealth of the West was effectively transferred to the East and we now know where that took us. China is more powerful and we are considerably weaker. Duh!
August 22, 2021
We need to stop being apologist, It wasnât the fault of Biden, Boris or NATO, the fault was 100% Afghanistan and its governments that have squandered the billions upon billions of dollars, 20 years of training, aid, support & resources. They and only they wasted the opportunities the west offered
If I had to blame anybody else it would be Afghanistan neighbouring muslim countries that have offered nothing to support the governments development and fight against the Taliban