LONDON (AP) — Tony Blair, the British prime minister who deployed troops to Afghanistan 20 years ago after the 9/11 attacks, says the U.S. decision to withdraw from the country has “every Jihadist group round the world cheering.”
In a lengthy essay posted on his website late Saturday, the former Labour Party leader said the sudden and chaotic pullout that allowed the Taliban to reclaim power risked undermining everything that had been achieved in Afghanistan over the past two decades, including advances in living standards and the education of girls.
“The abandonment of Afghanistan and its people is tragic, dangerous, unnecessary, not in their interests and not in ours,” said Blair who served as prime minister during 1997-2007, a period that also saw him back the U.S.-led war in Iraq in 2003.
“The world is now uncertain of where the West stands because it is so obvious that the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in this way was driven not by grand strategy but by politics,” he added.
Blair also accused U.S. President Joe Biden of being “in obedience to an imbecilic political slogan about ending ‘the forever wars’, as if our engagement in 2021 was remotely comparable to our commitment 20 or even 10 years ago.”
The former prime minister, whose reputation in the U.K. took a dive from the failure to find the alleged weapons of mass destruction that were cited as justification for U.S. coalition’s invasion of Iraq, said Britain has a “moral obligation” to stay in Afghanistan until everyone who needs to be evacuated is taken out.
“We must evacuate and give sanctuary to those to whom we have responsibility — those Afghans who helped us and stood by us and have a right to demand we stand by them,” he said.
Like other nations, Britain is trying to evacuate Afghan allies as well as its own citizens from Afghanistan, but with a U.S.-imposed Aug. 31 deadline hovering into view, it’s a race against time.
In addition to the 4,000 or so U.K. citizens, the country is thought to have around 5,000 Afghan allies, such as translators and drivers, earmarked for a seat on a plane. The Ministry of Defense said Sunday that nearly 4,000 people had been evacuated so far.
Blair conceded that mistakes were made over the past two decades but added that military interventions can be noble in intent, especially when challenging an extreme Islamist threat.
“Today we are in a mood which seems to regard the bringing of democracy as a utopian delusion and intervention virtually of any sort as a fool’s errand.” he said.
Blair also warned that the decision by the U.S. to keep Britain largely in the dark about the withdrawal risks relegating the country to “the second division of global powers.”
However, he said the U.K., in its role as the current president of the Group of Seven nations, was in a position to help coordinate an international response to “hold the new regime to account”.
Britain’s Conservative government has been working diplomatically to ensure there is no unilateral recognition of a Taliban government in Afghanistan.
“We need to draw up a list of incentives, sanctions, actions we can take including to protect the civilian population so the Taliban understand their actions will have consequences,” Blair said.
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Follow all AP stories on developments in Afghanistan at https://apnews.com/hub/Afghanistan
© 2021 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
You’re not exactly racking up the accolades, Joe.
“The world is now uncertain of where the West stands because it is so obvious that the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in this way was driven not by grand strategy but by politics,” he added. Mark Levin had Colonel Kemp from Britain on his Fox News Show and Kemp was saying that Biden should be court martialed as a traitor. For all of the gaffes and past incredulous decisions Biden has made, he has really stepped in it this time.
I strongly disagree with Blair’s characterization of the moron’s actions. he didn’t “risk” undermining everything we accomplished in twenty years, it actually undermined everything we may have accomplished. However, years ago, my daughter who served in Afganistan, told me that whatever we built for the people would be destroyed by the Taliban, so anyone who is willing or able to tell the truth about Afganistan knows that despite our best intentions whatever we wanted to do was futile. However, Obama recognized that Afganistan was a collection of tribes (which is also true in other Moslem states such as Pakistan) and ordered that our soldiers fight with one hand behind their backs.
I do want to point out that Obama’s Deep State recruited our “so-called” allies in order to undermine President Trump, so, in effect, Biden’t double-crossed our double-crossing “allies”, so, in my estimation, they really got what they deserved, which was a kick in the tuchus (behind), which was what they deserved. But, those few Americans who actually voted for Biden, as well as the crooked Media, Big Tech and Press have not yet gotten what they deserve, as they did everything to destroy our actual President and to mislead the American public in every way, shape and form.
MANY folks i knew over there, said the same thing. WE KNEW that the afgans would REFUSE TO FIGHT fellow muslims, from the get go.
SO WHY DID WE waste literally BILLIONS OF OUR DOLLARS??
Gekrge Soros once said that, ” Americaa Was too big For Its Britches And Needed to Be Brought Down A Peg Or Two, “” and the democrat Marxist Party of America With Clueless Democrat. President, Joe BJDEN, the democrat Marxist Party of America was only too Happy to help George Soros, ” Bring America Down a Peg or Two As long long as the Debacle was all on poor old Joe Biden
Ever, since i heard of Soros, i’ve been saying, WE NEED TO ELIMINATE HIM and his demon-spawn kids, SO THEY CANNOT KEEP MEDDLING IN our nation’s elections!
The disgraceful sitution That The United States Finds Itself in In Afghan results from the Leftist politics of Joe Biden and his Marxist Adaministration . Certainly there has been other situtions In The past where America Has had to withdraw from but we Always in the past Withdrawals, mde sure that All Americans were taken out First then Americas Troops, Not Americs troops first, then “Good luck to the other Americans left to fend for themselves. This President, democrat Loe Biden thou said To theAmericans left Behind in Afghan, Gopd Luck , ” Thats How the Cookie Crumbles, ” AndWith this, democrat President, Joe Biden left on a Vacation.
““We need to draw up a list of incentives, sanctions, actions we can take including to protect the civilian population so the Taliban understand their actions will have consequences,” Blair said”. Hey Tony, do you think that the Taliban care about “sanctions”? Tony, you are a liberal idiot just like the inept liberal idiot Biden. Does anyone think that if we put sanctions on Adolph Hitler, that that would have stopped Hitler from murdering Jewish people?
What are the possible items with which to “sanction” the Taliban?
Limit / stop our sales of pork products?
Limit / stop our sales of alcoholic beverages?
Limit / stop our supply to them of Bibles?
No. There is nothing the Western World can “deprive” the Taliban of in their narrow-minded, self-limited extremist existence that they will notice is gone.
How’s about we fly a few MOABS OVER Some of their more populated cities!
The democrat Marxist Party of Ameroca couldn’t have picked a better person than
Joe Biden to embarrass America before the World. In this article above The title say What the entire world must be thinking about the democrat parties President, Joe Biden’s actions … ” withdrawal from Afghan, ” Imbecilic ” The problem, i belive, is that Joe Biden is beginning to realize that his democrat Marxist Party uas just using poof old Joe Biden zs their Fool and Joe Biden has, ” Rode the Tiger but when he got off, It Ate Him. “
Correction, …that his democrat Marxist party of America was just using him…
Joe Biden could not make an intelligent decision if his life depended on it ! He has proven that throughout his political career.
Don’t blame Biden totally (did I actually write that), blame the Democrat Party as a whole for the entire debacle called the 2020 Election. They pawned a totally inept politician, 50 years worth, off as the best candidate out of a field made up of contoversial hopefuls as a moderate. That he didn’t campain should have sent a loud signal something wasn’t quite right, the questionable tactics to insure his election and subsequent lack of verification audits is suspicious, his disjointed and seeming ignorance of what is going on indicates he is not in charge but he’s being manipulated from within the Democrat Party or ????!
NOT just them, but the entire swamp of DC.. From every rino, to all the traitors in the DOJ, the FBI etc.. THEY ALL Share the blame.
Sotheseedsofliberty2s, Response to joe23006s comments , Ex U. ks Prime Minister, Tony Blair may have been responding to how America was making its withdrawal from Afghan, but the man the World seen as responsible for the United States actions and policies, was The Unjted States actions and its policies was President Joe Biden for the debacle, its paineful to wiynessand the disdain that the world heaped upon America . While evedyone knew that tthe democrat party elite were equally responsible, it was Joe Biden who was left to take all the shame and disgrace heaped upon him, Joe Biden was made the ” Fall Guy. “
It is not Joe Biden alone but the whole Democrat Party Policies, not forgetting Rinos who legislate this evil with them, thus normalizing it in Government, Law, Education, Media in all venues, and our entire environment. They invade our homes , work, schools and enforce woke nonsense, then normalize this evil by legislation to all. We must put an end to this by electing good people to office, and not let the Media Moguls fix elections with rigged election machines.
President Ronald Reagon referred to the U.S. as a “shining city on a hill.” That means being a major force & influence for good all over the world, and using strong leadership to lead by example in every crises that arises.
Unfortunately, many innocent lives are being lost in Afghanistan, because the bumbling incompetent Biden doesn’t even have 1% of the mental capacity & leadership skills that President Reagon had!!
Choices have consequences, and the choice of allowing a very corrupt election process to go unchecked will have serious consequences for decades to come.
How far America has Fallen in Stature since Ronald Re agan was the President . Ronald Reagan, Like Republican President, Donald Trump, wanted To, ” Make America Great, ” Unlike Democrat President Jimmy Carter, though that Thought that “America’S best Day were Behind It .”
Every debacle our nation’s suffered, over the past 100 years, a DEMOCRAT WAS IN CHARGE for..
It’s the definition of pretty damn sad when a Brit Labour PM ridicules you the Democrat president over your inept policy decisions.
Too bad we did not hang onto Bagram Air Base until everyone, military and civilian, was outta there!
Let him, Who is Without Sin, Cast the First Stone . ” America should demand , The Shining example , that America Should take as a shining example that America it could look up to and follow.
I have ZERO desire to defend the actions of addled Joe Biden, HOWEVER, all you geniuses in NATO, all our so-called allies who thought Trump was too gauche and bombastic and applauded the election of this pudding eating sorry excuse for a president, can go pound sand. For YEARS the countries of NATO, the UN, have all taken advantage of the USAs generosity. You couldn’t wait to get rid of a leader who loved our country and held you all accountable. Well, there you go! Thanks for your support and be careful what you wish for!
Even though Tony Blair is a British lib, he actually gave a better speech for going into Iraq than G.W. Bush did. So when Blair says senile Joe is an imbecile, I respect his opinion, even if it is an understatement.
MANY Folks believed that the taliban and such were a threat.. NOT just blair..
After the way The democrat President, Joe Biden Made America’s withdrawal from Afghan, Leaving Som Americans To Their Fate And Abandment, Couldn’t you imagine that people Would Jump at The Chance To Have President select them to be A Ambassador to some Country? For Example, ” Rahm Emanuel has been Selected by President Joe Biden to Serve As…U. S. Ambassador over Seas. I Could Just Hear Rahm Emanuel’s Reply To Jo Biden, Rahm Emanuel might say After The way democrat President Joe Biden left Americans to Their Fate and Just Pulled Out Of Afghan, Rhhm Emanuel Might say, ” What Have I Possibly Done To President Joe Biden For Him To Treat Me Like That . “
I never even thought of that angle.. Maybe Rahm sees this as a punishment..
Thanks for you comment… If the democrat Marxists are anything, they know how to talk out of both sides of their mouth, Wasn’t it Franklin D. Roosevelt who said once, ” You know that I’m a Juggler, My right Hand Never knows what My Left hand is Doing. “