Kindly let me convey my heartfelt condolences for 13 US-Servicemen and 79 others killed in a terrorist blast on Thursday at Kabul Airport and my prayers for the fast recovery of many more injured. The entire USA is aggrieved on this unfortunate incident and all the more outraged the way it all happened because of the way the people are being evacuated out of Afghanistan. It has also hurt the self esteem of the Americans because despite being the superpower of the world they had to face such ignominious & humiliating treatment at the hands of splinter-terrorists and that too after getting advance warning of this attack.
The entire USA (as is evident from the coverage of this terrorist attack in the US media) is blaming the US-Administrations (mainly of Biden and some of Trump too) for this unfortunate incident and even Prez Biden in his response to this terrorist attack (as mentioned at https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/08/26/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-terror-attack-at-hamid-karzai-international-airport/ ) blamed it on agreement the Trump-administration made with Taliban when Biden said that – “[I bear responsibility for, fundamentally, all that’s happened of late. But here’s the deal: The former President made a deal with the Taliban that he would get all American forces out of Afghanistan by May 1. In return, the commitment was made — and that was a year before — in return, he was given a commitment that the Taliban would continue to attack others, but would not attack any American forces. The reason why there were no attacks on Americans from the date until I came into office, was because the commitment was made by President Trump: “I will be out by May 1st. In the meantime, you agree not to attack any Americans.” That was the deal. That’s why no American was attacked]”.
In reply to a question that ‘you said you squarely stand by your decision to pull out’ Biden said that – “[Yes, I do. Imagine where we’d be if I had indicated, on May the 1st, I was not going to renegotiate an evacuation date; we were going to stay there. I’d have only one alternative: Pour thousands of more troops back into Afghanistan to fight a war that we had already won, relative — is why the reason we went in the first place]”.
Finally Biden said that – “[As I’ve said 100 times: Terrorism has metastasized around the world; we have greater threats coming out of other countries a heck of a lot closer to the United States. We don’t have military encampments there; we don’t keep people there. We have over-the-horizon capability to keep them from going after us. it was time to end a 20-year war]”.
The narrative & understanding of the USA about what is happening in Afghanistan (as reflected in whatever is being discussed in the US-media and in the comments of Prez Biden in his said Thursday address to the nation) is full of confusion & shallow thinking to say the least. This will not go away unless US-Christianity realize its responsibility to help the country ( as given below) to come out of its one of the worst crises in its entire existence of about 250 years:-
(1)- The US-Christianity should realize that religion is the custodian of the values of the society even in a secular State. The only difference between secular State and theocratic State is that in Secular State religion does not interfere in temporal (this-worldly) matters and confines itself to other-worldly matters. But by remaining the custodian of the values of the society remains not only relevant to the society but also keeps itself based on the contemporary world (the important part of the ULTIMATE TRUTH).
(2)- Though many Americans are atheist , agnostics etc but still overwhelming majority of the USA is Christian hence the US-Christianity (which is getting immense respect and wealth including lands & landed properties from the Christians of the USA) has ethical responsibility to impart the values of the contemporary society to these US-Christians. For this, the US-Christianity should first of all tell the Americans that their traditional isolationist mindset will not work in present world because US business, industries etc (including its large corporations) are doing huge business and are functioning all over world and its currency the Dollar is the reserve currency of all the countries of the world. This is benefiting every person in the USA, hence the people of the USA should take keen interest in the success of the global political order (through the UN and maybe through other similar global institutions sponsored by the USA for strengthening ‘liberal Western democracy’).
(3)- The US-Christianity should tell the Americans that unless the USA organize the countries based on human rights friendly (a Christian value) secular-democracy and give them preference over ‘authoritarian countries (‘authoritarian Chinese democracy’) in the UN or in any other world body, there can’t be any victory of ‘liberal Western democracy’ against ‘authoritarian Chinese democracy’.
(4)- The role of the US-Christianity in this regard (which it is not carrying out) is special because the USA is the leader of the free world which has a responsibility to ensure the victory (in ongoing cold war II) of ‘liberal Western democracy’ against ‘authoritarian Chinese democracy’. Moreover this victory has to be achieved by the USA through rule-of-law (international) through some world body (presently the United Nations or otherwise) but the USA is finding it difficult to do so and it is precisely here that the US-Christianity can help the people (including politicians and media) of the USA.
(5)- This failure of the USA to politically manage the world through rule-of-law (through world bodies) has resulted in a plethora of various organizations like G-7, G-20, Quad, NATO, ASEAN etc. This is costing unnecessary lives, blood and money of the USA all over the world including in Afghanistan and in the NAME region.
(6)- The above mentioned can be understood in the context of present Afghanistan where the USA has failed because:-
(i)- The USA did not press for secular democracy in Afghanistan though post 9/11 the USA was giving trillions of Dollars to Afghanistan [on the contrary in theocratic Afghanistan even democracy was dysfunctional as is evident from the fact that during last election its results were not declared for months because these were rigged hence two candidates (Ghani and Abdullah) took oath for office].
(ii)- The USA gave billions of Dollars and training and provided intelligence and air power to the Afghan government but when time came to defend the country Afghanistan military fled and did not fight Taliban, hence Kabul fell on August 15. But the USA never ensured the court-martial of the top brass of the Afghan military (including Supreme Commander Prez Ghani who fled) for their desertion.
(iii)- The USA is not restoring militarily the US-protected elected government of Afghanistan with the result that the said Kabul blast on August 26 happened and (God forbid) may happen again if the USA doesn’t do the said requisite.
(iv)- Prez Biden on Thursday said that Afghanistan is a country that has never once in its entire history been a united country, and is made up of different tribes who have never, ever, ever gotten along with one another. But Biden doesn’t realize that it is mainly due to the failure of the religion of Afghans namely the Islam which has failed in its duty to impart the values of contemporary world to its followers. But what is more objectionable is that the US-administrations (including the Biden-administration) never bothered to enforce religious freedom (as per ICCPR of the UN) in Afghanistan with the result the Afghans have not been able to get the benefit of US-Christianity through peaceful voluntary conversion.
It is hoped that the US-Christianity will realize its religious responsibility of imparting the values of the society (i)- In US Christians (the overwhelming majority of the USA) so that not only the people of the USA but (through them as the leader of free world) the entire mankind may live in peace and by enjoying their human rights (the most important Christian value) and (ii)- by peaceful voluntary conversion of Afghans to US-Christianity.
