American abdication afghan civil society is in mortal danger as kabul falls questions abound on us reliability as an ally

American abdication afghan civil society is in mortal danger as kabul falls questions abound on us reliability as an ally

With Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stepping down and virtually ceding control to the Taliban, the progress made by Afghan civil society over the last two decades risks being wiped out. The hardest hit are and will be Afghan girls and women. There are already reports coming in of them being forced to marry Taliban fighters and being prevented from continuing with their jobs in Taliban-controlled areas. In fact, in the months preceding Taliban’s latest offensive, several prominent Afghan women activists and public personalities were killed by Taliban-linked gunmen. A return to the strict interpretation of Shariah under the Taliban would be disastrous for Afghan women, intellectuals, artistes and minority denominations.

The US takes the biggest blame for this unfolding tragedy. The manner in which the Joe Biden administration has carried out the American troop withdrawal – in some cases reportedly evacuating bases in the dead of the night – jolted Afghan security forces, leaving them low on morale and confidence. Analysts have pointed out the Biden administration seemed to have been extraordinarily naïve about the capability of the Afghan military. The world’s biggest military power spent 20 years training an army that collapsed in around 20 days. This American abdication, which may yet hurt Biden politically at home, raises a larger question in foreign policy about American leadership. At a time when India has strategically hitched its wagon to the US, the Afghan situation should make New Delhi think twice about putting all its eggs in Washington’s basket.

After all, it’s clear that the US will put its own calculations above those of its allies if it comes to the crunch. Thus, India would be better served focussing on building its own economic and strategic depth. And a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan will certainly make India’s immediate environment challenging. Aside from jeopardising Indian investments in Afghanistan – including the flagship Salma Dam – there are also reports of anti-India terror groups like the Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba shifting to bases across the Durand Line. In fact, New Delhi should keep its guard up in Kashmir, the area susceptible to spillovers from Afghanistan.