Biden’s Afghan retreat has done irreparable damage to alliances

Just days after taking office, President Joe Biden made a solemn declaration: “America is back. Diplomacy is back at the center of our foreign policy,” and “we will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again.” More than seven months into his administration, the results are in: No U.S. president has done more damage to our alliances, or America’s standing in the world, in so short a time, as Biden has with his Afghanistan debacle.

At a virtual meeting of Group of Seven leaders last week, the Associated Press reports, Biden “clashed” with America’s closest allies, who pleaded with him to extend the artificial deadline he set for the U.S. withdrawal, noting that, according to the AP, “no country would be able to evacuate all their citizens and at-risk Afghan allies by the Aug. 31 deadline.” But Biden refused to budge.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters that “without the United States of America … we — the others — cannot continue the evacuation mission.” Canada says it was forced to leave about 1,250 Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and their family members in Afghanistan. Britain left behind up to 1,100 Afghans who worked for its military and embassy, while Germany left behind at least 6,000 of its Afghan partners and France left behind at least 1,000. Biden not only betrayed our citizens and Afghan allies but also forced NATO allies to betray theirs as well.

When European leaders are desperately trying to stiffen the U.S. president’s spine, America is in trouble.

That was when they could get Biden’s attention. During a crisis, many Americans imagine their commander in chief sitting at the Resolute Desk, working the phones, coordinating with world leaders. So it came as a shock when national security adviser Jake Sullivan admitted on Aug. 17 that the president had not spoken with a single world leader since the fall of Kabul. Asked why, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden was too busy focusing on “operational efforts,” but “if there is a benefit in the president picking up the phone and calling a world leader, he will certainly do that.”

If there is a benefit? Joe Biden — the great champion of multilateralism and critic of Republican unilateralism — wasn’t sure if there was a benefit to picking up the phone and calling a world leader?

How about calling one back? British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried for 36 hours to reach Biden, according to news reports. It was only after the media reported that the president had spoken to no foreign leaders that Biden finally returned Johnson’s calls. The New York Times reported that Britain was given little say in the withdrawal, “even though it suffered the second-most casualties among Western nations in the Afghanistan war,” leaving “British officials embarrassed and embittered at President Biden.”

What current British officials would say only in private, former prime minister Tony Blair said in public — declaring Biden’s withdrawal “imbecilic” and his abandonment of the Afghan people “tragic, dangerous,” and “unnecessary.”

But the damage Biden has done extends far beyond the “special relationship” with Britain. Our NATO allies were in Afghanistan only because America was attacked on 9/11, and there were more NATO than U.S. forces in Afghanistan when Biden made the decision to withdraw — so his surrender undermines the credibility of the entire alliance. Merkel’s designated successor, Armin Laschet, declared Biden’s handling of Afghanistan the “biggest debacle NATO has seen since its foundation.” And our European allies are the ones most likely to pay the price for that debacle.

The last time Biden helped preside over a disastrous withdrawal of U.S. forces — from Iraq in 2011 — Europe suffered the brunt of the blowback, as the Islamic State carried out attacks in Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark, and Britain. If and when the blowback from Biden’s Afghan withdrawal reaches Europe’s shores, our allies will rightly blame Biden for the carnage.

The impact of Biden’s Afghan retreat is also being felt in Asia. China used Biden’s abandonment of Afghanistan to taunt Taiwan, publishing an editorial in the Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times asking: “Is this some kind of omen of Taiwan’s future fate? Once a cross-Straits war breaks out while the mainland seizes the island with forces, the US would have to have a much greater determination than it had for Afghanistan.” Not only is China emboldened by Biden’s display of weakness, but Russia, North Korea, and Iran are watching as well — and are more likely to test our resolve as a result.

Yet, Biden seems oblivious to the damage he is doing. In a news briefing before the evacuation was ended, Biden declared, “I have seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world.”

This is delusional. Our allies are aghast at Biden’s display of weakness and his indifference to their interests. The damage he is doing to our alliances and our credibility in the world is irreparable.

Marc Thiessen writes a twice-weekly column for the Washington Post on foreign and domestic policy. He is a fellow at the American Enterprise

Institute, and the former chief speechwriter for President George

W. Bush. "marcthiessen