“The bungled withdrawal is a deeply unsatisfactory end to twenty years of conflict, thousands of lives lost on both sides, and a cost to U.S. taxpayers of over 2 trillion dollars and still counting.”
President Biden’s abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan has thrown the nation into chaos, with the Taliban violently seizing the nation as thousands of Americans and Afghans attempt to flee. Americans for Limited Government reports that so far just 7,000 people have been evacuated from Kabul since Aug. 14, and there are still 60,000 to 80,000 people left to evacuate, including more than 10,000 Americans.
The bungled withdrawal is a deeply unsatisfactory end to twenty years of conflict, thousands of lives lost on both sides, and a cost to U.S. taxpayers of over 2 trillion dollars and still counting. It should surprise no one that most Americans say the war was not worth fighting, the occupation did not improve the lives of the Afghan people, and the withdrawal did not result in a victory for the U.S. The American people are growing weary of the “endless wars”, most notably because when they end there is very little to show for it.
“The American people are growing weary of the “endless wars”, most notably because when they end there is very little to show for it.”
A recent poll from NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found Americans believe 62% to 35% that the war in Afghanistan was not worth fighting. The same poll finds Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of foreign policy 51% to 47%. These views fall along party lines, and Independents disapprove of Biden’s handling of foreign policy 54% to 41%.
A recent YouGov poll finds 77% of Americans believe the U.S. and other Western allies did not win the war in Afghanistan. Just 6% of Americans say the U.S. won the war, while 16% aren’t sure, 39% say there was no clear winner, and 38% say the U.S. lost the war.
“A recent YouGov poll finds 77% of Americans believe the U.S. and other Western allies did not win the war in Afghanistan. Just 6% of Americans say the U.S. won the war.”
Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say the U.S. lost the war. Eighty-one percent of Republicans say the U.S. either lost the war or there was no winner, while 78% of Democrats say the same thing.
The burden Americans have endured due to the U.S. occupation in Afghanistan has been devastating and costly. Over 2,200 American lives have been lost to the Afghanistan war since 2001, between operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. At least 20,000 American servicemembers have been wounded in the conflict, and a total of 800,000 American servicemembers have served in Afghanistan according to Brown University’s Costs of War project.
“Over 2,200 American lives have been lost in Afghanistan since conflict began, 20,000 have been wounded, and 800,000 have served during the occupation.”
On top of lives lost and upturned during these last twenty years, the occupation in Afghanistan has cost American taxpayers over $2 trillion dollars in defense costs, and over $145 billion dollars in ‘reconstruction programs’ according to SIGAR.
“On top of lives lost and upturned during these last twenty years, the occupation in Afghanistan has cost American taxpayers over $2 trillion dollars in defense costs, and over $145 billion dollars in ‘reconstruction programs’.”
As deadly and thankless as this war has been for Americans, one could argue it has been even worse for the Afghan people. The Costs of War project estimates a total 47,245 Afghan civilians lost their lives in the conflict. The Washington Post notes that in the first half of this year civilian casualties increased 47% compared to last year, and there were 1,659 Afghan civilians killed and 3,524 wounded.
The recent chaos as U.S. troops were pulled abruptly from Afghanistan is a devastating end to a thankless war, and a global reminder that nation-building and neoconservative foreign policy have failed. Americans are living through the violent end to one of our “forever wars” and most of us know the thousands of lives lost and trillions of dollars spent over the past twenty years were wasted efforts.
