Deja Vu in Kabul
This is not the first time the Taliban have ruled Kabul, but the difference in how they won is like night and day.
A Tale of Two Anti-Taliban Governments
Mohammad Najibullah, also known as Dr. Najib, was the progressive president of Afghanistan from 1987 until April 1992. His predecessor had asked for help from the Soviet Union to combat the Mujahideen, who were being funded and receiving military supplies from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
The Soviets, who were having troubles of their own, withdrew most of their troops in 1989. In 1991, the USSR was dissolved by Boris Yeltsin and others. This, of course, ended all aid from the extinct country. Ironically, the progressive Afghani government held out longer than its main supporter, the Soviet Union.
In anticipation, Najibullah had formed a government of National Reconciliation. His party, the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) included women and members of some of the 14 national minorities, such as, Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras. The PDPA won the parliamentary elections in 1988, followed by the National Front coalition and various other small parties. The Mujahideen, which included those who would form the Taliban, boycotted the election.
A Hero, but no one can speak his Name
When Kabul fell in 1992, Najibullah declined to run away like the recent president, Ashraf Ghani, who opted to live a life of luxury in the UAE. Najibullah, on the other hand, stayed in Kabul where he was tortured and executed.
After the capture of Kabul, a civil war ensued among the Mujahideen, which was won by the Taliban. In 1996, they created the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. They were driven from power in 2001 by invading US troops who have occupied much of Afghanistan until President Biden removed them this month.
Why was the most recent takeover of Afghanistan so sudden compared with the one in 1992? One reason is that the Afghani army was in support of Najibullah’s government of National Reconciliation, which was expanding women’s rights, promoting equality among different nationalities, and was determined to bring the country into modern times.
The Corrupting Influence of Capitalism
In 2021, the extremely corrupt government of Ashraf Ghani, formerly a Columbia University anthropologist, was seen as a mere puppet of the US and its allies.
Is Taliban rule a fate worse than death? It would seem so to those who want to ride the big airplanes, either inside or outside, to paradise.
Will today’s Taliban be a carbon copy of the Taliban of the Nineties? According to Taliban leaders, they have changed. In fact, they aren’t even the same people. They are the children of those who established the first Emirate in the waning years of the 20th century, and the grandchildren of the recipients of aid from presidents Carter, Reagan, and Bush, so they could fight the Soviets.
Can You Trust the Taliban’s Kids, and Kids’ Kids?
Today’s Taliban is more PR savvy. They have learned what will infuriate the rest of the world, and what will pacify them.
So far, they’ve been on their best behavior, even holding a recent press conference and posing for photos.
At the press conference, they claimed:
Women can get an education, or continue to work, and no burqa is required. All women’s rights will be guaranteed (within the limits of Islamic law).
The new Taliban “does not threaten anyone,” nor treat them as enemies. In a departure from past practice, revenge will be abandoned.
There is a general amnesty, which includes those who worked for the former government. Translators will not be harassed, and don’t need to leave the country.
Foreign embassies and foreign media will be protected. While the US has abandoned ship, the Russian, Chinese and Iranian Embassies are conducting business as usual.
The Emirate wants recognition from the “international community,” which implies they will stay away from their former terrorist friends.
Does the Media Hate the Taliban, or Joe Biden More?
The Taliban may have no intention of sticking to any of this, but it is what they are saying they will do. Unfortunately, Americans are not entitled to know any of this beyond the bare minimum. The mainstream media (MSM), is run by billionaires who have extensive ties to the military industrial complex, and their employees, at least the ones we see on TV, are multi-millionaires. Neither group has much incentive to give us a balanced picture of what is going on in the world.
Poor old Joe Biden has also incurred their wrath by actually pulling out of Afghanistan. That “forever war” has provided military contractors with trillions of dollars. They don’t want it stopped now. Therefore, they are calling Biden every name in the book. One of their loyal servants, Senator Lindsay Graham, has gone so far as to call for Biden’s impeachment.
Former President Barack Obama relates in his memoir that Biden once told him that the generals would try to put him in a box that would prevent him from cutting back on our military adventures.
Apparently, they were successful with Obama, who didn’t pull out of Afghanistan, after he said he would. Trump backed off after likely being cowed by the military, and his fear of bad publicity.
Joe Biden, the Peace President?
But not Joe. He knew the military’s games, and didn’t fall for them. Now, the MSM is trying to create a popular backlash against ending the forever war. So far, the public seems strongly in support of pulling out of Afghanistan, with the latest poll showing 63 percent in favor. However, only 47 percent approve of the handling of the withdrawal. Last time I checked, it was the military’s job to implement the orders of their Commander-in-Chief. If so, then the public should be angry, not at Biden, but at the army for dragging their feet on getting out.
Will the Taliban’s Next Generation Be Driving Teslas?
In the long run, Biden will probably receive praise for doing what no president in the past 20 years would do. Meanwhile, Afghanistan will probably be on our shit list for years to come. This will give China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan time to develop strong trade relations with a government that will probably further moderate its policies in exchange for a booming economy.
It took years for the US to acknowledge that an independent Viet Nam existed. But now, Viet Nam is still socialist, and many of the clothes we wear come from there. Americans, even former US soldiers enjoy traveling to this peaceful and prosperous country. Let’s hope that the same can someday be said for Afghanistan.