Unforeseen Contingencies

Numerous commentators are discussing the end of America's longest war, the war in Afghanistan.  On October 7, 2001, the United States began its invasion of Afghanistan, an operation thoroughly justified by Al Qaeda's attacks on September 11 and the Taliban regime's protection of Al Qaeda.  However, this was not the start of the war.

On February 23, 1998, Al Qaeda declared war on the United States and called on all Moslems to "kill Americans and their allies" wherever they might be, and to "plunder their money."  The September 11 attacks successfully brought Al Qaeda's war to America.  The U.S. response in Afghanistan was not the start of a war.  And after twenty years of failing to utterly destroy the enemy, the United States has been defeated... in Afghanistan.  But Osama bin Laden's 1998 fatwa remains in effect, and for Islamists, defeating the United States in Afghanistan is a great victory which doubtlessly convinces them they can win.  Afghanistan was not their war, war on the United States is their war, and they've just begun to fight.

As pointed out in my previous post, the United States did not pursue war, it eschewed war in favor of the insane pursuit of "nation building."  The United States didn't even declare war, so from the American perspective there was no true war.  The war was that of the Islamists against the West.

Anyone supposing that this war ended when the U.S. fled Afghanistan on August 30 is unfortunately mistaken.  The state of war remains for the Islamists.  Instead, what has happened is that the Islamists have won a great campaign, and are now in position to take the offensive.  Very bad things are ahead. 

Photo: a young Afghan woman after participating in a protest for women's rights in Kabul, September 2021.