The all-American war on terror: A tragic legacy in Afghanistan

Editor's note: Bobby Naderi is a London-based journalist, guest contributor in print, radio and television, and documentary filmmaker. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN. 

In 2001, we were all forced to believe that under the banner of the "War on Terror," the U.S. had to lead a coalition of international forces to invade Afghanistan. We then witnessed how the terrifyingly disastrous campaign left a path of destruction and chaos that still plagues the landlocked country today.

Unsurprisingly, over 174,000 Afghans lost their lives in the full-scale conflict that devastated families and towns, and permanently damaged the mental health of a generation. The death toll includes over 30,000 civilians, a figure only likely to rise in the future. As the dust settles on this awful chapter in history, it is painfully evident that Washington's pledges made during the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan were broken, whether due to complacency or a reluctance to acknowledge the blood on its own hands.

A horrible embarrassment

The tragedies of war and the wasting of "American democracy" have left no hopes and dreams for many people in Afghanistan. Countless children have become orphans, facing acute malnutrition and uncertainty. The stress of growing up in a war-torn country will forever ruin their futures. These food-insecure children are the heartbreaking icons of a generation that has known nothing but war and terror.

While it is true that the withdrawal of American forces brought an end to a protracted and expensive "democratic" campaign, the human rights violations and destruction of infrastructure from the all-American War on Terror equally heralded a new era of hopelessness and misery for the Afghan population.

The ongoing refugee crisis is one of the most obvious effects of this horrible embarrassment. The chaotic process of not-quite-withdrawal left Afghan citizens in a dangerous situation with unfulfilled promises of peace and nation-building. According to the UN statistics, around 30 percent of the population is still displaced, forced to undertake dangerous journeys to seek security and stability elsewhere.

Millions of Afghan families are also suffering internally amid the ongoing state of uncertainty and terror, unable to rebuild their communities. Global news outlets constantly remind us about the heartbreaking human tales of refugees torn apart, hopes dashed, and lives lost while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. All this and more is a sobering reminder of both the terrible consequences of America's broken promises and the human costs of its forever wars.

A debt unsettled

Consider it a particularly cruel feature of American warfare that beyond the debris of collapsed structures and shattered lives, there is another, more subtle kind of devastation: Washington's unfulfilled promises that have wreaked havoc on significant portions of the Afghan population.

The U.S. launched its decades-long war in Afghanistan under the promises of establishing a democratic government and nation-building. Unsurprisingly, it then decided to withdraw its occupying forces in 2021 with little or no ethical oversight or regulation. This forced the Afghan people to deal with the lack of stable institutions, infrastructure, and governance. In some eerie sense, the promises of American democracy and nation-building gave way to political instability and so many other gruesome visions of the costs of war.

Perhaps this has had something to do with the intricate interaction of internal political issues, or the strategic changes in foreign policy. Whatever this is, Washington and its allies are historically to blame for what is happening now. Worse still, they have been unable or unwilling to assist in Afghanistan's international aid and reconstruction programs.

True, there may be many obstacles ahead. Yet that does in no way mean that the U.S. cannot strike a balance between humanitarian considerations and geopolitical realities. To make a significant contribution to Afghanistan's reconstruction, the U.S. is expected to make a concentrated effort to forge an international agreement, interact with neighboring countries, and come up with creative ways.

The time is now to learn from the mistakes of the past and consider the unfortunate legacy of the war that the United States led. The international community has an obligation to history to ensure that disasters like these never happen again. The idea is for the U.S. government to collaborate with other governments in playing a part in determining Afghanistan's future.

Accountability and commitment in Washington are needed to help stop further disorder and chaos from spreading in Afghanistan. By making long-term stability, governance, and security a priority, the political class in Washington can and should contribute to the creation of a better future for the war-torn country, one that also respects the commitments made by working with international partners like China and the European Union.

Afghanistan's history is one of tenacity and perseverance. It is the global community's shared duty to stand behind the Afghan people in their pursuit of a brighter future. It would hurt no one to start making amends for the terrible effects of the failed War on Terror that the United States led and the broken promises that have left a desperate nation in ruins.

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