A day as good as any to take stock and look around.
The Allies have left Afghanistan at the right or the wrong time. It does not matter anymore. There was no good time. People have died crushed to death in the mob scene that is Kabul’s airport, falling from planes in their desperate attempt to flee the Taliban; it will be on everybody’s conscience forever. Just like Saigon.
The 20th anniversary of 9/11 looms and this is no time for closure or celebrating. The Allies went into Afghanistan, invaded, took possession and now are gone leaving debris behind and others to clean the mess. The UK Secretary of Foreign Affairs was sunning in Crete while all this was going on, still insisting he deserved a break. Tony Blair is tearing his clothes sitting on a high horse entreating the Powers That Be not to abandon the Afghans and conveniently forgetting he lied about the WMD to accommodate his BFF George Bush on his quest to get his hands on Saddam’s oil. The Biden people are holding Trump responsible for the premature announcement of a withdrawal in May 2020, and Trump is having his best day ever since January 6th watching Sleepy Joe swinging from a rope. BoJo and his Missus are having another baby -probably the only good news coming out in England this week- although maybe a case of too much bonking and not paying enough attention to the world; you can’t do both well (there is already an excess of bonking in this government).
Elsewhere Haiti -where else- gets hit by a major earthquake AND a tropical hurricane; double whammy. (Why is it always them?) Floods in Germany, fires in Greece and close to St. Tropez, more than half a million hectares destroyed in California so far in 2021, scorching heat over much of the Mediterranean, no snow this winter for South America and the seas keep rising. Is anybody paying attention anymore?
I guess not.
The scope of the human tragedy unfolding in that tragic land which is always the Middle East has kept everybody busy lunging for the phones or for the nearest exit. In remote areas one may be tempted to think this none of our business. Oh but it is, very much so.
The consolidation of a Taliban state run by Sharia law -you know, the one where they cut the hands of thieves, stone adulterers and flog everybody else- establishes a solid launching pad for the politics and malfeasances of unsavory groups such as Al Qaeda and their natural allies in Venezuela and Iran. They now have all the time in the world and official protection to plan planting bombs, downing planes, blowing bridges and buildings and generally making our life more angst-filled, if possible. They will export devastation and the teachings of Islam in its most extremist form; they are once again on the official path to converting the world into one huge Caliphate ran by mullahs and crazy Imams.
Whom do we have in front?
The Chinese.
Who want exactly the same thing: world domination and stand a fair, even better, chance of achieving it. They already control most of the natural resources of Africa and Latin America. The Americans and the Europeans are no match for the cunning and cruel ways of the offspring of the Celestial Empire, master traders, sharp negociators and refined torturers. The silly Third World countries who think they will get better trade deals by parting ways with arrogant Uncle Sam and their condescending Europeans partners are in for a rude awakening when they find themselves in the belly of the Beast; the US and the EU have Human Rights, guys!
The Chinese eat Third World countries for breakfast like dim sum out of a cart.
Meanwhile back at the ranch Covid continues to rule, well, everything. Australia closed down completely till September 30th. The EU opens, closes, re opens. All of South America is closed. The UK has devised a system of traffic lights that often falls victim of short circuits. So there we have it:
The Four Horsemen: conquest, war, famine and death.
In the midst of all as Islamists have begun to assault resistance fighters, a French plane fires anti-missiles while taking off to protect the lives on those on board, a Marine in full battle dress carries a toddler to safety and the captain of a US evacuation plane helps save the life of a woman that goes into labor while in the air. He descends to a lower altitude allowing for more oxygen. The mother and the baby girl make it. UK Ambassador Sir Laurie Bristow in bullet-proof vest is the only senior foreign representative to have stayed behind, putting himself in harm’s way, to help sort out this sorry mess. A poignant reminder of what it means to serve.
If we are not the Marine, the French plane, the US captain or the Ambassador we will lose our world. If we are not capable of fighting, of showing empathy, of sacrifice and taking a stand in the face of danger we will lose our world. We will lose music, art, tolerance, humor, comedy and poetry. We will be beaten down and silenced living in tribal narco-states run by ignorant bullies and drug lords riddled with fanaticism, dispensing pain and fear.
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