West obliged to help Afghans
Once again, a protracted conflict that has already witnessed so much loss and destruction sees the desperate risking all to save all. The indelible image of the young Afghan footballer who died after clinging onto a plane’s landing gear or the Afghan baby being lifted over a wall at Kabul airport should scar our memories.
Those left behind will be clutching at the slenderest of hopes. Will Taliban 2.0 be less brutal, restrictive and exclusive? Time will tell, but few Afghan women hiding in their homes feel confident. The US says that the Taliban have told them they will permit Afghans to leave after Aug. 31 if they wish to do so. I doubt that is a guarantee that will provide comfort.
The UN Refugee Agency says there are about 500,000 internally displaced people in Afghanistan. As in other conflict zones, spare a thought for those who cannot move, trapped where they are. Already banks are closed and stores are running out of food. Drought is also on the horizon.
For those who are evacuated or flee, differing experiences await. Let’s slay one myth. As with nearly all refugee crises, it will be the neighboring countries that take in the overwhelming majority of exiles. The refugee crisis will not be American or European. It will be local.
At the time of writing, about 12,000 people had been evacuated from Kabul airport. Many of those may be fortunate enough to receive asylum courtesy of a major power. However, the doors are barely ajar.
Greece lost no time in announcing that it had completed its high-tech, 25-mile border wall with Turkey. Greek authorities are clear that this is to stop any influx of Afghan asylum seekers.
The richer states are not stepping up to the plate either. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who famously declared “we can do this” back in 2015, is singing a very different tune this time. Germany will take in about 10,000 refugees, but she insists neighboring countries must take the lion’s share. President Emmanuel Macron said that France should “anticipate and protect itself from a wave of migrants.”
The UK has replicated the miserly offer it made to Syrian refugees in 2015 — to take in 20,000 over five years. Canada said that it will also take 20,000. The US, which bears the greatest responsibility, will probably end up taking in similar numbers.
What is truly lacking is any genuine admission of responsibility from NATO powers, and particularly the US, for what is occurring. These refugee flows are a direct result of the inept and ill-planned withdrawal, as well as Taliban repression. Yet many Afghans, notably women, who are most at risk, are in danger because they took part in programs that Western governments were only too happy to promote and use for photo opportunities. Writers and journalists are at risk, and even sport stars.
The stunning failure to withdraw with order and honor is being compounded by an even worse failure to protect those we put at risk.