Op-Ed: Why is the Afghan Political Elite not Being Held More Accountable?

Author: Saad Bounjoua*.

Beyond the headlines and the dramatic pictures and videos emerging from the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and the hasty evacuation of Americans and other foreigners from the country, everyone seems to blame the United States.  However, almost no one has raised questions about the role played by the various Afghan governments and institutions that have come and gone and have been unable, perhaps even unwilling, to help drive and maintain peace and security in the country.

Image by Andre Klimke on Unsplash

Let’s not forget what has happened in Afghanistan for the last 100 years. The United States follows a long succession of global and regional powers (e.g., Great Britain, the USSR) that failed to tame one of the most inhabitable places on Earth, not only because of its rugged terrain and its inextricable network of mountains and valleys but, mainly, because of its complex tribal, religious, and ethnic social fabric that makes governing and establishing a common set of rules of law almost impossible.  

The US would have not invaded Afghanistan had the September 11 attacks not occurred and had Afghanistan not chosen to harbor Osama Bin Laden. The US invasion was dominated by self-interest and the desire to project a powerful image on the world stage, after the tragic humiliation of those attacks on American soil.

Invading Afghanistan is what the “hawks” in the Bush administration wanted and orchestrated, followed by the disastrous invasion of Iraq.  Improving human rights and women’s rights was subsequently achieved as a collateral benefit of the American presence in the country but would not have justified the decision to go to war. It never does, as evidenced by so many examples throughout history and around the world where great powers have refused to intervene to address human right violations, including the genocide in Rwanda and the war in Yemen. 

After 20 years, over $2 trillion spent, and thousands of American and Afghan lives lost or changed forever, no one understands why the US remained in Afghanistan nor can explain how a prolonged stay in that country would help mitigate terrorism risks (which had migrated elsewhere a long time ago), establish a democratic and open way of life, and protect human rights.  

The war officially ended in 2014 and Afghanistan has barely made the headlines for the last 7 years, overshadowed by other regional conflicts such as Iraq and Syria. That has impacted the American public’s ability to understand the difficult, if not impossible situation in the country and the level of dysfunction and corruption permeating through all levels of government.  

Sadly, despite the money and efforts deployed by the US, not much had changed in terms of social and societal pressures, deep rooted conservative influences across the country, but principally outside of the main urban areas.  These forces have allowed the Taliban to retain influence and power.   

American political leaders have known for years that Afghanistan was a dead-end experiment. The challenge for most of them, including Presidents Obama and Trump, was to determine how to effectively end it. Biden should be commended for making that decision and acting on it, knowing that he would “bite the bullet” on behalf of his predecessors but most importantly, and to quote him, to “not pass the problem to a fifth President.” 

We can be outraged at the videos and pictures and rightfully, should not absolve his Administration from a very messy withdrawal. However, we should agree that the ending to this story could never be easy and that the story should have ended 10 years ago. 

One of the biggest concerns stemming from the Taliban’s return to power is, of course, the potential curtailing of human rights and, specifically, women’s rights. This is a valid concern, but it is wrong to assign that burden or responsibility solely to the US and other western countries. 

If the Taliban can rescind those rights so quickly, it is not because of the US failure to protect them. It is tragically because Afghan society could not transform itself and allow progressive achievements twenty years in the making, to overcome the test of time or the pressure of the Taliban’s guns. The men that tolerated stronger women’s rights after the Taliban left in 2001 are the same ones who began painting over street ads showing women’s bodies and faces when the Taliban returned to power.    

The current president fleeing the country when the Taliban seized Kabul, set the tone for what, in my view, has been a moral and political failure of the Afghan elite over the last twenty years.  Most of them got into power to benefit from the immense wealth and opportunities granted by the US invasion.

I doubt they have been motivated by protecting their citizens, contributing to social and economic development and, of course, expanding women’s rights and human rights altogether. The Afghan people are suffering, and the world is left to pick up the tab, again. Is it fair?

* Originally from Morocco, Saad Bounjoua is a second year MS Global Affairs student at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs.  As part of his MS curriculum, he is specializing in the future of International Relations with a focus on the Middle East.