We discussed this on the Triggered Podcast yesterday, but the fallout from Joe Biden’s failure in Afghanistan could have devastating consequences abroad that go beyond the issue of eradicating radical Islamic terrorism. The chaos in Kabul is a stain on this presidency that’s not even a year old. They couldn’t manage a withdrawal. Desperate Afghans are clinging to US Air Force planes as they take off. They’ve fallen to their deaths. It’s an ignominious end to our longest war. And now, the Taliban have helicopters, Humvees, MRAPS, and scores of weapons that we didn’t destroy. We left Bagram Air Force base which housed at least 5,000 terrorists. The Taliban has released them all. There are 5-10,000 Americans still trapped in the country. How will they get out? We don’t know. The Pentagon has no plan, and the Biden White House couldn't guarantee that all could be safely evacuated. Yet, let’s go beyond Afghanistan. Former CIA operative Bryan Dean Wright had a chilling thread about what could be ahead in the aftermath of Afghanistan’s collapse.
He noted how his colleagues in the intelligence community are furious over this situation. The failure in Afghanistan showed the world that the US can’t deploy our intelligence or military resources effectively.
“The blame lays at the feet of multiple Presidents. The Generals. The Spies. The Congress. America's Elites are trash,” Wright wrote. But it’s the China and Russia angles we need to watch:
China knows it. They will become emboldened, covertly & overtly. War over Taiwan and contested islands in the S. China Sea and E. China Sea is now more likely. Russia will consider similar covert & overt moves, focused on Crimea, & former Soviet satellites.
The fear is that China & Russia will act in concert. Why?
America was whipped by a tiny rebel force and couldn't even retreat properly.
Meanwhile, the American people are angry, COVID weary, & divided. If there were ever a time to push American hegemony aside, this is it.
If Cold War III grows hot, America will need to quickly build up & work with foreign counterparts.
But who will trust America after Afghanistan?
Who believes we have the leadership to use our military might well?
[…]
Beyond China/Russia, others will take gambles too.
Terror orgs like al-Qa'ida & ISIS are degraded but not dead. Their ideology is very much alive.
Iran's Hizballah -- with terror cells throughout the US -- may see an opening to create chaos too.
[…]
There's also the nightmare of tactical weaponry now awash in Afghanistan, in the hands of the Taliban and -- soon -- on the global black market.
These arms will fuel chaos around the world for decades.
There’s a reason why Wright said that we could be entering one of the most dangerous and unpredictable times in modern history. This thread captured that. Why not take things for a spin? Everyone saw how weak Obama was abroad and how predictable he was. It’s how Russia was able to run roughshod over the US for years. They annexed Crimea and Obama did nothing. They entered Syria—and Obama did nothing. Strong leadership is required to keep the US level and there is no way Biden could handle China and Russia and terror groups challenging American power. Biden can barely handle evacuating the US Embassy staff out of Kabul. The man gave some remarks about how he was awesome in Afghanistan and how it’s everyone else’s fault…and then goes back on vacation? He can’t do the job. And if I were America’s enemies, I’d be plotting perpetually. This guy will never be able to handle the pressure. He’s already on the verge of stroking out.
Former US intelligence colleagues are angry and deeply worried at what has happened in Afghanistan.
— BDW (@BryanDeanWright) August 17, 2021
Here's what I'm hearing, and why there's nearly universal belief that America and the world are in for one of the most dangerous, unpredictable times in modern history.
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Afghanistan has shown the world -- enemies & allies alike -- that our military & intel assets are largely irrelevant because we can't deploy them successfully.
— BDW (@BryanDeanWright) August 17, 2021
The blame lays at the feet of multiple Presidents. The Generals. The Spies. The Congress.
America's Elites are trash.
China knows it.
— BDW (@BryanDeanWright) August 17, 2021
They will become emboldened, covertly & overtly. War over Taiwan and contested islands in the S. China Sea and E. China Sea is now more likely.
Russia will consider similar covert & overt moves, focused on Crimea, & former Soviet satellites.
The fear is that China & Russia will act in concert.
— BDW (@BryanDeanWright) August 17, 2021
Why? America was whipped by a tiny rebel force and couldn't even retreat properly.
Meanwhile, the American people are angry, COVID weary, & divided.
If there were ever a time to push American hegemony aside, this is it.
If Cold War III grows hot, America will need to quickly build up & work with foreign counterparts.
— BDW (@BryanDeanWright) August 17, 2021
But who will trust America after Afghanistan?
Who believes we have the leadership to use our military might well?
Who will trust us when we say "We Will Stand With You"?
Beyond China/Russia, others will take gambles too.
— BDW (@BryanDeanWright) August 17, 2021
Terror orgs like al-Qa'ida & ISIS are degraded but not dead. Their ideology is very much alive.
Iran's Hizballah -- with terror cells throughout the US -- may see an opening to create chaos too.
Meanwhile, the disaster inside Afghanistan is only just beginning.
— BDW (@BryanDeanWright) August 17, 2021
The Taliban will launch a terror campaign against American collaborators. The pictures will shock the conscience of the world, further degrading American moral authority.
Biden & Co will struggle to respond.
There's also the nightmare of tactical weaponry now awash in Afghanistan, in the hands of the Taliban and -- soon -- on the global black market.
— BDW (@BryanDeanWright) August 17, 2021
These arms will fuel chaos around the world for decades.
The Pentagon has no idea where this stuff is and no plans to destroy it.
Finally, if Afghani refugees pour into the US, there are profound implications for security, culture, the economy, & politics.
— BDW (@BryanDeanWright) August 17, 2021
Are they properly vetted?
Do they hold Western / tolerant values re: women, gays?
Do they bring skills / education?
Which party will they support?
The existential problem is that America needs good leadership to right its ship but there is none.
— BDW (@BryanDeanWright) August 17, 2021
Our federal bench is weak.
Biden is a corrupt old man. Impeachment is a long shot; VP Harris is an unpopular paperweight. The Legislature is a feckless cabal of empty suits.
Leadership could come from a state Governor, it's true, but not soon enough.
— BDW (@BryanDeanWright) August 17, 2021
The above threats by China, Russia, & Co will metastasize well before the 2024 elections, and even a heroic new President will need years to clean things up.
Again, our enemies and allies know this.
Upshot: There is fear and outrage streaming through former intel officers over the Afghanistan debacle.
— BDW (@BryanDeanWright) August 17, 2021
America is rudderless. And the world now knows it.
Grave dangers lie ahead, some predictable, others unimaginable.
Keep your loved ones tight. Pray. And vote for change.
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