Two symbolic images, today, on the international front pages: the marked face of a young woman, a refugee in Kabul, an Afghan Madonna, a synthesis of the suffering of the population as the Taliban advance and Washington and London organize the evacuation of the embassies. And then, the street security officers in Plymouth, the dead on the sidewalk in a shooting The Independent Six dead in the Plymouth shooting One of the victims was a child, the police confirm the death of the killer who opened fire. The UK sends troops to evacuate the embassy in Kabul 600 men will leave for Afghanistan as the Taliban conquer one capital after another. Much of the embassy staff will be evacuated, including many Afghans who have worked with diplomatic staff. Ben Wallace,defense secretary: "we will do everything possible to keep them safe". The Times Several victims in the Plymouth shooting: six dead, but there are also injuries. It all started last night, when the residents of Keyham, near the city port, heard the explosion of gunfire and then, covered over the street after the intervention of agents of the security forces. Daily Mail Six dead in Plymouth horror shooting Three men, including the killer, and two women were found dead at the scene of the shooting. Another woman died shortly after hospitalization. He killed a grandmother and a child, the investigators exclude the terrorist motive. 600 par to save British citizens in Kabul.Daily Telegraph Paras sent on rescue mission to Afghanistan Defense secretary announces that 600 troops will return to evacuate UK embassy citizens and interpreters in Kabul as the Taliban advance rapidly. Europe prepares another disaster by abandoning the Afghan security forces. The US and UK are sending troops to withdraw embassy personnel in Kabul after Taliban fighters stormed the center of Afghanistan's second and third largest cities yesterday in the face of a staggering collapse of Afghan forces. The continent's inability to defend its interests makes it the target for a new wave of deadly terror attacks that could be planned in Afghanistan.The Guardian GB and USA evacuate as Taliban advance on Kabul As one provincial capital after another falls into the hands of the Taliban, Washington's message to the Afghans is that their survival is in their hands. "They have to fight for themselves, fight for their nation," said Joe Biden. But despite more than $ 80 billion in security assistance provided by the United States since 2002 and an annual military budget far exceeding that of other developing nations, Afghan military resistance to the Taliban is collapsing faster than what even most pessimists had predicted. There is talk, among US officials, of Kabul in Taliban hands within weeks. While there is consensus that the failure of leadership andunity in Kabul has played an important role in the dominance of defeats on the ground, it is also clear that the attempt to place all the blame on the Afghans overshadows the US and allies' share of responsibility for the military disaster. The sincere assessments of US and allied officials and soldiers recorded in hearings and reports to Congress make it clear that some of the problems so evident today originated in the beginning of the US-led military presence in Afghanistan. In the early years, when the Taliban were on the run, the Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, was reluctant to fund a sizeable Afghan military, particularly after the invasion of Iraq drained resources and attention. Afterwards,when the Taliban rallied and reacted, the coalition rushed to give substance to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) comprising the army, police and large-scale militias, totaling over 350,000 men. In the provinces, however, the fledgling police have been left to fend for themselves, and many have used their authority and weapons to squeeze the population's money. Army officers received salaries for tens of thousands of "ghost soldiers" whose names were on the books but never materialized. During the US's 20-year war in Afghanistan, it is clear that the ANSF's capabilities have been consistently overestimated by a number of US defense secretaries and military commanders. Vali Nasr,former US adviser and now professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University, he attributes part of the responsibility to the current Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani: "He clearly failed from day one to create a political consensus in Kabul for create a much stronger resistance to the Taliban, "said Nasr, special adviser to the Afghan American envoy, Richard Holbrooke, from 2009 to 2011." Much of the problem is the fact that there is leadership that gives the gentlemen of the war local reasons why they should resist the Taliban. So the more they see that the victory of the Taliban is inevitable, the more the victory becomes inevitable, because they themselves conclude agreements with the Taliban. " NYT The USA sends troops for theevacuation as the Taliban advance. Two other important cities fall into the hands of the militiamen, Kandahar, the heart of the Pastoun regions, and Herat, a vital economic hub: a sign of a near capitulation of the government structures in Kabul, which could fall within a month. FT UK and USA send troops to withdraw personnel as the Telebans advance. Katrina Manson: Many analysts explain that the US, first with Trump and now with Biden, have wronged their calculations on the holding of the Afghan state born from 20 years of war, have oscillated between determination to oppose the Taliban and try them for war crimes and negotiations with the same, have considered irrelevant or almost irrelevant the presence of al Qaeda men in Afghanistan when ties with the Taliban do not seem to be completely cut. Biden's purpose,that the Taliban could be tamed remains an illusory wish. WSJ Editorial: Afghanistan Debacle Former Defense Secretary Bob Gates wrote that President Biden has been on the wrong side of all major foreign policy issues in his long career. The world has another example now as the hellish and ill-planned withdrawal from Afghanistan is turning into a strategic defeat and moral debacle. Biden made a gross mistake in withdrawing all U.S. air power from the country, including private contractors who assist the Afghan Air Force in helicopter and aircraft maintenance. Contractors now have to assist via Zoom calls,while the US military makes too few sorties from the Persian Gulf region to slow down the Taliban. The White House has failed to understand what is going on, with rumors saying the administration is surprised by the onslaught of the Taliban. Surprise? The military has warned Biden and also intelligence. The Taliban began this offensive on May 1, two weeks after Biden announced the withdrawal, targeting the symbolic date of 9/11. Trump also made a mistake, the previous spring, when he praised the withdrawal and claimed credit for it. Both were so determined to gain political credit for bringing the troops home that they did not look at the consequences. Biden adds up to 8,000 troops to support withdrawal fromAfghanistan Taliban abuse of civilians increases as the advance of militiamen in the photo Wazir Nazari expands, shot in the face by the Taliban when they took the place where he lived before seeking refuge as a refugee with family members in Kabul Census Shows Growing Diversity in the US The first detailed 2020 census results show a diverse nation where the total white population has shrunk for the first time in its history and where large metropolitan areas, especially in the south and southwest , they saw the strongest growth. The number of people who identify as more than one race or ethnicity has grown at the fastest rate of any group, in part due to complex changes related to multiple factors.WPost Census Shows Whites Declining For The First Time In The US Since 1790. The Number Of People Who Identify As Non-Hispanic Whites And No Other Race Has Fallen By 5.1 million, to 191.7 million, a decrease of 2.6 per cent. The country has also passed two more milestones on the road to becoming a minority majority society in the coming decades: for the first time, the share of whites dropped below 60%, from 63.7% in 2010 to 57. 8% in 2020. And the population under 18 is now the majority black, at 52.7%. that the country is "much more multiracial and much more racial and ethnic than what we have measured in the past," said Nicholas Jones,Director and Senior Consultant of Race and Ethnicity Research and Awareness in the Population Division of the Census Bureau. Le Figaro Joe Biden struggles to unite Europeans in his diplomacy. Since his arrival at the White House, the US president has sought to renew ties with allies to build an alliance of democracies facing China. For now, without editorial success: America's mirage America is back, America is back! After hurricane Donald Trump, which for 4 years had blown to the rhythm of America first, Biden promised the return of the United States. The head of the White House presented himself as an antidote to Trumpism and a return to multilateralism. But beware of this American mirage! On closer inspection, his diplomacy extends Trump's. It is based on the interests of the USA.It is a less impetuous, less unpredictable, more traditional diplomacy, but when Biden asks Europeans to align themselves against China, or to oppose Russia, nothing has really changed, in substance. Neither in Iraq nor in Afghanistan, with the confirmation of the withdrawal of troops. In Kabul, the champion of democracy gives ground to the Taliban, under the amused gaze of Beijing and Moscow. Die Zeit Then with the Islamists With the withdrawal of the United States, power in Afghanistan shifts in favor of the Taliban. Other states now want to have a say, for example India, China and Turkey. In the photo, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) at the end of his meeting with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Tianjin at the end of July. From the point of view of Beijing, theAfghanistan is an important link with Central Asian countries and could become part of the Sino-Pakistani economic corridor CPEC, a showcase project of the Belt and Road infrastructure initiative (BRI). The Chinese are already the largest foreign investor in the country since they took over the management of a large copper mine in eastern Afghanistan in 2007 for $ 3.5 billion. You are investing in oil and gas production. Afghanistan is rich in natural resources. Such and future investments must be secured, and as the Taliban control an increasingly large part of Afghanistan and are increasingly becoming a determining factor in the country's political future, they are now receiving a great deal of reception in China.It is quite certain that Beijing will not let itself be drawn into an expensive and dangerous swamp like the Soviet Union or the United States before.
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by Paolo Cappelli
13 August 2021
Two symbolic images, today, on the international front pages: the marked face of a young woman, a refugee in Kabul, an Afghan Madonna synthesis of the suffering of the population as the Taliban advance and Washington and London organize the evacuation of embassies.
And then, the street security officers in Plymouth, the dead on the pavement in a shootout
The Independent
Six dead in Plymouth shooting
One of the victims was a child, police confirm the death of the killer who opened fire.
The UK sends troops to evacuate the embassy in Kabul
600 men will leave for Afghanistan as the Taliban conquer one capital after another. Much of the embassy staff will be evacuated, including many Afghans who have worked with diplomatic staff. Ben Wallace, Secretary of Defense: "We will do everything possible to secure them".
The Times
Several victims in the Plymouth shooting: six dead, but there are also injuries.
It all started last night, when the residents of Keyham, near the city port, heard the explosion of gunfire and then, covered over the street after the intervention of agents of the security forces.
Daily Mail
Six dead in Plymouth horror
shooting Three men, including the killer, and two women were found dead at the scene of the shooting.
Another woman died shortly after hospitalization.
He killed a grandmother and a child, the investigators exclude the terrorist motive.
600 par to save British citizens in Kabul.
Daily Telegraph
Paras sent on rescue mission to Afghanistan
Defense secretary announces that 600 troops will return to evacuate UK embassy citizens and interpreters in Kabul as the Taliban advance rapidly.
Europe prepares another disaster by abandoning the Afghan security forces.
The US and UK are sending troops to withdraw embassy personnel in Kabul after Taliban fighters stormed the center of Afghanistan's second and third largest cities yesterday in the face of a staggering collapse of Afghan forces. The continent's inability to defend its interests makes it the target for a new wave of deadly terror attacks that could be planned in Afghanistan.
The Guardian
GB and USA evacuate as Taliban advance on Kabul
As one provincial capital after another falls into the hands of the Taliban, Washington's message to the Afghans is that their survival is in their hands. "They have to fight for themselves, fight for their nation," said Joe Biden.
But despite more than $ 80 billion in security assistance provided by the United States since 2002 and an annual military budget far exceeding that of other developing nations, Afghan military resistance to the Taliban is collapsing faster than what even most pessimists had predicted. There is talk, among US officials, of Kabul in Taliban hands within weeks.
While there is consensus that the failure of leadership and unity in Kabul played a major role in the dominance of defeats on the ground, it is also clear that the attempt to place all the blame on the Afghans overshadows the state's share of responsibility. United and allies for military disaster. The sincere assessments of US and allied officials and soldiers recorded in hearings and reports to Congress make it clear that some of the problems so evident today originated in the beginning of the US-led military presence in Afghanistan.
In the early years, when the Taliban were on the run, the Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, was reluctant to fund a sizeable Afghan military, particularly after the invasion of Iraq drained resources and attention. Later, when the Taliban rallied and reacted, the coalition rushed to give substance to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) comprising the army, police and large-scale militias, totaling over 350,000 troops. In the provinces, however, the fledgling police have been left to fend for themselves, and many have used their authority and weapons to squeeze the population's money. Army officers received salaries for tens of thousands of "ghost soldiers" whose names were on the books but never materialized.During the US's 20-year war in Afghanistan, it is clear that the ANSF's capabilities have been consistently overestimated by a number of US defense secretaries and military commanders.
Vali Nasr, former US adviser and now professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University, attributes some of the blame to current Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani: "He clearly failed from day one to create a political consensus. in Kabul to build a much stronger resistance to the Taliban, "said Nasr, special adviser to the Afghan American envoy, Richard Holbrooke, from 2009 to 2011." Much of the problem is the fact that there is a leadership that give local warlords reasons why they should resist the Taliban. So the more they see that the victory of the Taliban is inevitable, the more victory becomes inevitable, because they themselves make deals with the Taliban. "
NYT
The US sends troops to evacuate as the Taliban advances. Two other important cities fall into the hands of the militiamen, Kandahar, the heart of the Pastoun regions, and Herat, a vital economic hub: a sign of a near capitulation of the government structures in Kabul, which could fall within a month.
FT
UK and USA send troops to withdraw personnel as the Telebans advance.
Katrina Manson: Many analysts explain that the US, first with Trump and now with Biden, have wronged their calculations on the holding of the Afghan state born from 20 years of war, have oscillated between determination to oppose the Taliban and try them for war crimes and negotiations with the same, have considered irrelevant or almost irrelevant the presence of al Qaeda men in Afghanistan when ties with the Taliban do not seem to be completely cut. Biden's intention that the Taliban could be tamed remains an illusory omen.
WSJ
Editorial: Afghanistan Debacle
Former Defense Secretary Bob Gates wrote that President Biden has been on the wrong side of all major foreign policy issues in his long career. The world has another example now as the hellish and ill-planned withdrawal from Afghanistan is turning into a strategic defeat and moral debacle.
Biden made a gross mistake in withdrawing all U.S. air power from the country, including private contractors who assist the Afghan Air Force in helicopter and aircraft maintenance. Contractors now have to assist via Zoom calls, while the US military makes too few sorties from the Persian Gulf region to slow the Taliban. The White House has failed to understand what is going on, with rumors saying the administration is surprised by the onslaught of the Taliban. Surprise? The military has warned Biden and also intelligence. The Taliban began this offensive on May 1, two weeks after Biden announced the withdrawal, targeting the symbolic date of 9/11. Trump was also wrong, the previous spring,when he praised the withdrawal by claiming its credit. Both were so determined to gain political credit for bringing the troops home that they did not look at the consequences.
Biden adds up to 8,000 troops to support withdrawal from Afghanistan
Taliban abuse of civilians increases as militia advance
in the photo Wazir Nazari
expands
, shot in the face by the Taliban when they took the location. she lived before seeking refuge as a refugee with family members in Kabul
The census shows increasing diversity in the US
The first detailed 2020 census results show a diverse nation where the total white population has shrunk for the first time in its history and where large metropolitan areas, especially in the south and southwest, have seen the strongest growth. The number of people who identify as more than one race or ethnicity has grown at the fastest rate of any group, in part due to complex changes related to multiple factors.
WPost
Census Shows Whites Declining For The First Time In The US Since 1790.
The Number Of People Who Identify As Non-Hispanic Whites And No Other Race Has Fallen By 5.1 million, to 191.7 million, a decrease of 2.6 per cent.
The country has also passed two more milestones on the road to becoming a minority majority society in the coming decades: for the first time, the share of whites dropped below 60%, from 63.7% in 2010 to 57. 8% in 2020. And the population under 18 is now the majority black, at 52.7%.
that the country is "much more multiracial and much more racial and ethnic than we have measured in the past," said Nicholas Jones, director and senior consultant of race and ethnicity research and awareness at the Census Bureau's Population Division .
Le Figaro
Joe Biden struggles to unite Europeans in his diplomacy.
Since his arrival at the White House, the US president has sought to renew ties with allies to build an alliance of democracies facing China.
For now, without
editorial
success
: America's mirage
America is back, America is back!
After hurricane Donald Trump, which for 4 years had blown to the rhythm of America first, Biden promised the return of the United States.
The head of the White House presented himself as an antidote to Trumpism and a return to multilateralism. But beware of this American mirage! On closer inspection, his diplomacy extends Trump's. It is based on the interests of the USA. It is a less impetuous, less unpredictable, more traditional diplomacy, but when Biden asks Europeans to align themselves against China, or to oppose Russia, nothing has really changed, in substance. Neither in Iraq nor in Afghanistan, with the confirmation of the withdrawal of troops. In Kabul, the champion of democracy gives ground to the Taliban, under the amused gaze of Beijing and Moscow.
Die Zeit
Then with the Islamists
With the withdrawal of the United States, power in Afghanistan shifts in favor of the Taliban. Other states now want to have a say, for example India, China and Turkey. In the photo, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) at the end of his meeting with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Tianjin at the end of July.
From Beijing's point of view, Afghanistan is an important link with Central Asian countries and could become part of the Sino-Pakistani economic corridor CPEC, a showcase project of the Belt and Road infrastructure initiative (BRI). The Chinese are already the largest foreign investor in the country since they took over the management of a large copper mine in eastern Afghanistan in 2007 for $ 3.5 billion. You are investing in oil and gas production. Afghanistan is rich in natural resources. Such and future investments must be secured, and as the Taliban control an increasingly large part of Afghanistan and are increasingly becoming a determining factor in the country's political future, they are now receiving a great deal of reception in China.It is quite certain that Beijing will not let itself be drawn into an expensive and dangerous swamp like the Soviet Union or the United States before.
