Doug Bandow

Washington’s sole success in the 9/11 wars was Afghanistan. Barely two months after the destruction of the Twin Towers and strike on the Pentagon, U.S. forces had wrecked al-Qaeda and defeated the Taliban. With a little more effort, Osama bin Laden might have been captured during the battle at Tora Bora; with a little more … Continue reading “9/11: The War On Terror Wasn’t Supposed To End This Way”

NATO’s European members are in one of their periodic states of funk. When Joe Biden was elected president, they believed that the good times were back, with Washington unashamedly putting them first. Then Biden withdrew U.S. forces from Afghanistan – without asking the continent’s permission. What followed was much whining and caterwauling about Europe’s lack … Continue reading “When Foreign Policy Becomes Farce: Bring Brazil Into NATO?”

The collapse of America’s Potemkin government in Afghanistan shocked Washington. After the U.S. fueled decades of civil war, sacrificed thousands of American lives, left tens of thousands of other Americans wounded, contributed to the deaths of tens of thousands of Afghan civilians, and wasted trillions of dollars, Washington’s grand nation-building project disappeared almost without a … Continue reading “Is Democracy Worth War?”

To most Americans the collapse of Afghanistan called into question Washington’s ability to manage the world. After devoting 20 years, thousands of lives, and trillions of dollars to creating a stable, democratic, and liberal Afghanistan, the entire Potemkin structure collapsed in 11 days. Hundreds of thousands fled as the Taliban successively captured provincial capitals. Tens … Continue reading “Barely Out of Afghanistan, Now America Is Supposed To Save Tigray From Ethiopia and Eritrea?”

Gold Star families are dealing with the tragic reality of the collapse of America’s mission in Afghanistan: their loved ones died in vain. Some 6300 Americans, military personnel and civilian contractors, were sacrificed for nothing. The geopolitical wreck known as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan delivered distressingly little in return for the service, sacrifice, and … Continue reading “Yes, they Died in Vain in Afghanistan”

It took just 11 days, but the US lost another war. Washington and its mostly NATO allies spent 20 years, thousands of lives, and trillions of dollars to construct a political façade in Kabul, which disappeared almost overnight without trace. Now the Biden administration is frantically attempting to rescue American and allied citizens, as well … Continue reading “US Loses One Afghanistan War: Proposals for New Afghanistan Wars Multiply”

Despite the Afghanistan disaster dominating global headlines, American policymakers don’t seem to realize that they just lost a war. After Washington devoted two decades to, endured tens of thousands of casualties for, and spent trillions of dollars on its Afghan creation, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan melted away in less than two weeks. The rapid … Continue reading “Washington’s Arrogance Survives Afghanistan Disaster”

The U.S. spent 20 years, thousands of lives, and trillions of dollars in Afghanistan. Instead of creating a stable, prosperous democracy beloved by its people and defended by all, Washington did the geopolitical equivalent of digging a big hole and filling it with people and money, then paving over it. With America’s lengthiest nation-building experiment … Continue reading “After Afghanistan: Apply Obama’s Simple Foreign Policy Precept, Don’t Do Stupid Sh*t!”

America’s Afghan project, to create a modern, democratic, centralized nation state in Central Asia, is over. What took 20 years, thousands of lives, and trillions of dollars to construct disappeared in little more than a week. Only a few days ago administration strategists were debating whether Kabul had three or six months left and imagining … Continue reading “In a World Aflame, an Antiwar Movement Is Needed More Than Ever”

America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan is nearly over. Yesterday Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared: "This is manifestly not Saigon." Yet Associated Press reported: "panic set in as many rushed to leave the country through the Kabul airport, the last route out of the country as the Taliban now hold every border crossing. Rapid shuttle … Continue reading “As America’s Imperial Ambitions Collapse, Washington Should Ask: Who Lost Afghanistan?”