The rapid US withdrawal from Afghanistan has exposed divisions with Britain, which has supplied the second highest number of troops in the 20-year conflict. The future of the transatlantic partnership is now in doubt, according to Sarah Raimondi and Pablo Calderon-Martinezmajors in politics and international relations at Northeastern's New College of the Humanities in London.
This week's virtual G7 meeting of the world's seven most powerful countries, hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was an example of the “dissonance” between the United States and everyone else. US President Joe Biden rejected a request by other nations to extend the US withdrawal from Afghanistan beyond August 31, citing fears of Taliban violence.
“It is clear that Britain did not agree with this [decision by Biden], nor many other countries in Europe and almost anywhere else in the world,” says Calderon-Martinez. And, he adds, “it's clear that their opinion didn't matter at all.”
In a rare display of public criticism, Britain's former prime minister Tony Blairwho led the UK into Afghanistan two decades ago, called the quick US withdrawal “stupid” and wondered “has the West lost its strategic will?”
Raimondi and Calderon-Martinez spoke News@Northeastern on the long-term implications for the US-UK relationship.
Their comments have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Sara Raimondi and Pablo Calderon-Martinez, political and international relations specialists at Northeastern's New College of the Humanities in London.
What message did Biden send to other countries by not agreeing to keep US troops in Afghanistan beyond August 31st?
RAIMONDI: On the one hand, the G7 really ignited and brought to light the divisions and differences between the European powers directly dealing with the refugee crisis.
What is also important to bear in mind is to consider the G7 within the wider network of international organizations and institutions. Some of the leaders who participated in the G7 – the US, the UK and France in particular – are members [United Nations] Security Council. They are pressing the Security Council for a proposal to address the security and humanitarian situation.
CALDERON-MARTINEZ: The meeting was further evidence of the slow erosion of the traditional liberal international order. We can see a clear division between the United States and the rest of the G7 members, and we can see divisions between the European members.
It goes beyond the situation in Afghanistan. Just look at the response to the pandemic. This is very problematic because we see a growing power vacuum and a complete lack of international coordination on everything. No leadership, no organization, no coordination and no proper way to organize a response.
What is likely to be the outcome of the “special” relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom that political leaders have long heralded?
RAIMONDI: It shows the difficulty of the UK being an actor, being able to put pressure in any meaningful way on the US Going back to the power imbalance, it's very visible in the short term. In the long run, it could become even more of a question of what form of government would emerge from the Taliban. It reveals both in the short and long term how the UK has been a minor player in the crisis so far.
CALDERON-MARTINEZ: If the United Kingdom was considered perhaps the lesser partner of the United States in the past, now it has become even worse and an afterthought. It has been proven that the coalition, without the United States, cannot do anything in Afghanistan.
They cannot hold the airport for even one day. They are completely powerless. Again, it demonstrates the huge power imbalance between the US and the rest of the membership, but it also symbolizes the lack of leadership from the US. When the US doesn't lead, chaos ensues.
How did you interpret Tony Blair's comments about the US leaving as a “stupid” decision?
RAIMONDI: We have to put his words in context, especially if we compare it to the international landscape that Blair was dealing with 20 years ago, which was probably still on the triumphant side of liberal internationalism and the language of democracy promotion.
His words also indicate the moral underpinnings of the war on terror and the role Britain was playing as a global actor at the time. Blair's words come from the reality that guided his foreign policy 20 years ago. I'm not sure they can be taken as an accurate analysis of what we're dealing with now, particularly after 20 years in Afghanistan.
CALDERON-MARTINEZ: Imbecilic is really not having an ounce of self-reflection and the ability to see your own mistakes. He refuses to take any responsibility. The fact that Tony Blair is now criticizing the very policy he started is laughable.
What is an important untold story in the conflict in Afghanistan that people should know?
RAIMONDI: One aspect of the current Afghan crisis is what it reveals about geopolitics and the changing international landscape that we see now compared to the late 90s or even 20 years ago.
Afghan society has changed a lot in the last 20 years, and one aspect that is important to consider is not only how Taliban forces have positioned themselves in the international landscape, but also what kind of resistance they might encounter on the ground that will ultimately define the kind of government and the kind of society that will follow.
We've already seen signs of grassroots organizations, women's organizations, that are willing to stand up [to the Taliban] and resist. This will be a factor that must be added to the matrix, not only of the broader geopolitical analysis, but also of how Afghan society itself will factor in the unfolding situation in the coming months.
CALDERON-MARTINEZ: If anything good comes out of this disaster in Afghanistan, I hope we finally get away from this idea that there has to be a war on everything – a war on drugs, a war on terror, a war on COVID -19.
I understand that this is how states react. But it doesn't work. Hopefully this will lead to something else. What, I don't know. But something else, something different. The war on terror has proven to be an unmitigated disaster. Trillions of dollars spent, thousands of deaths and the Taliban are back in power.
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