MOSTLY accurate, but the Foreign Affairs report made a couple of unnecessary and egregious errors: the military was involved in the Doha negotiations (it was not a secret to them, as suggested by the report) — but they simply followed “chain of command” when the later administration demanded a new method of evacuation from Afghanistan. The original negotiated agreement in Doha was very different.
The Constitution demands civilian leadership, a.k.a. the commander-in-chief, and the military understands the essentiality of “chain of command” in a democracy. They did not support the decision by the current administration, but accepted it, because of chain of command responsibilities. That is incredibly admirable in a working democracy, actually.
The current administration did not abide by the Doha negotiation, but rather blew up “part two” of what had been negotiated. The result of this ad lib by the current administration was catastrophic, with considerable loss of life and injury at Abbey Gate and elsewhere in Kabul, and the near immediate takeover of the government in Afghanistan.
This was not a military problem, nor Doha problem. It was political fallout.
History and revisionary history are generally written by those with something to lose, rather than by honest brokers.
It really is time for our leaders to own truth, rather than a spin designed to accomplish an agenda.
The middle 15% — who make the difference in this world — will respect that. Politics as we know it is “a hole in the sky.” We can do better, be better.
https://lnkd.in/ewPRdbkA
