Dr Naseer Al-Omari: The US exit from Afghanistan was chaotic but necessary.. and this will not be repeated in Syria
The Ugarit Post News Network interviewed political analyst and US Democratic Party member Dr Naseer al-Omari from Washington, and the dialogue revolved around assessing the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, and whether Washington could recognize the Taliban, and whether this withdrawal had anything to do with Russia and China, and the possibility of Afghanistan turning once again into a haven for terrorists.
How does the United States view the new Taliban government, and can it be recognized?
The United States and the administration of Joe Biden view the sudden arrival of the Taliban movement to power with a lot of astonishment and confusion, and the situation is changing every moment. At first they classified the Taliban as a terrorist movement, but today it seems that the current American position is that a relationship with the Taliban can be opened, but with conditions, and I think that American policy makers realize that ignoring the Taliban and classifying it as a terrorist movement and refusing to deal with it is not in the interest of the United States.
Is President Biden’s administration responsible for what happened in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s accession to power?
Certainly, a decision to leave Afghanistan in this way has led to disastrous results, and one of the most important problems that will result from this chaotic exit is the reputation of the United States.
The exit of the United States in this way and its retreat in the face of the extremist Taliban movement, gives a lot of hope and ambition for the return of Islamic extremism.
Mr. Biden did not have much choice, because the occupation drained the United States economically and financially. Mr. Biden made a bad decision, but it was necessary.
Can we witness any other withdrawals of the Americans, especially from Syria?
Regarding the American withdrawal from Syria, there were official statements that the situation in Syria is different from Afghanistan, because there is an incubator for the American forces in Syria (Kurds), and this is the opposite of what is happening in Afghanistan. and there may be certain settlements related to Syria, but at the present time I do not think that we are witnessing a repetition of what happened in Afghanistan on the Syrian arena, and I do not think that there will be a withdrawal.
Do you think that Afghanistan will again turn into a haven for terrorism and the possibility of witnessing terrorist attacks around the world and in the United States?
I think that this depends on the ability of the Taliban to exert influence, and this in turn depends on the international and regional support for the Taliban. If there is international support for the Taliban government, especially from the new players, especially on the Afghan arena, then I think that they will actually be able to defeat terrorism.
But if there is no support, the Taliban can fail, and if the Taliban fails, it will turn into a security failure and the spread of terrorism.