The American newspaper "Washington Post" said that the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan has raised an international wave of doubt about America's role in the world, as European allies are discussing their need to play a greater role in security issues, and Russia and China are looking at ways to enhance their interests in Afghanistan. under the rule of the Taliban.
The newspaper's report stated that US President Joe Biden's defense of the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in the speech he addressed to the American people last Monday after the Taliban movement took control of the Afghan capital, Kabul;
He revived the debate about whether the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan is an indicator of its weakness, and limits its ability to lead the world.
She pointed out that there is another point of view that the decision reflects a healthy rearrangement of American interests, and gives it a better position to deal with the new challenges of the 21st century, as it clarifies to allies and opponents - alike - its priorities that determine whether it will spend its resources here or there.
European annoyance
The report highlighted that the emergency session held by the European Union foreign ministers on the developments of events in Afghanistan yesterday, Tuesday, during which rare criticism was directed at Washington, because what it did in Afghanistan may cause an influx of refugees to European countries, as it would return Afghanistan as a platform for terrorism in Central Asia. .
The newspaper quoted Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks as saying - during a radio interview on Tuesday - that "the withdrawal of forces in this way caused chaos," noting that the withdrawal destroyed long-term construction projects in Afghanistan, and that the decision was imposed on the Europeans.
"This era is over, and unfortunately, the West - and Europe in particular - is showing its weakness to the world," he added.
On Tuesday, German politician Armin Laschet, a candidate to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel, described the withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan as "the biggest disaster that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has seen since its founding," according to the newspaper.
The Washington Post report noted that the foreign minister of China, which sees the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as risks and opportunities, told US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in a phone call that the rapid departure of US forces from Afghanistan had "extremely damaging" repercussions.
China's foreign minister also spoke of broader repercussions of the withdrawal, noting that it showed America's inability to transfer a foreign model of governance to apply it in a country with a different cultural and historical background.