Alwaght- For decades, one of the poles of the US power has been its network of regional allies across the world. In other words, in addition to its economic and military capabilities, it was the US's cultural aspect in the world that helped put Washington in the place of a hegemonic power and leader of the West. However, recent developments in Afghanistan, the most highlighted one being the US turning its back to the central government in Kabul, seem to have heavily shaken the position and prestige of Washington on the global stage.
The US government invaded the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in 2001 under the pretext of fighting terrorism and after 9/11 attacks, and sought to establish a democratic political system with secular rulers after occupying Afghanistan. Now the world is witnessing how, after 20 years of US presence in Afghanistan, the White House betrayed its allies in Kabul, and as a result of a secret agreement with the group, paved the way for the fall of Kabul.
In the aftermath of these events, despite all the propaganda and efforts of US officials to glorify the US military and reduce the burden of defeat, the issue of Washington's withdrawal is widely regarded as a great betrayal and a reason for distrust in the Americans.
Now it can be boldly claimed that in the new period we are witnessing a growing phobia of trusting the US worldwide. This has scrambled the White House strategists to struggle to mend the tarnished American image globally.
Washington wants to remake its face in East Asia
The first and perhaps most important region in which confidence in the US has been undermined, and which Washington attaches particular importance to in its new "pivot to East" doctrine, is East Asia. Indeed, over the past decade, containment of China in the East Asian region has become a US foreign policy priority, but countries in the region are now skeptical of the future of trust in Washington. Countries such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and even Vietnam, meanwhile, are more concerned about the prospect of cooperation and Washington's support for them in the face of existing threats.
The concerns of various actors have now led to a special movement of White House politicians. For example, in an interview with ABC News on August 19, 2021, US President Joe Biden said that the situation in Taiwan was different from that in Afghanistan, as if Washington had openly signed a military cooperation agreement with Taiwan. Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit Southeast Asia to assure the allies about continued commitment to their security.
These American remarks and trips are coming as experts suggest the rapid takeover of Afghanistan will reflect its influence on the national security of the US allies in Europe and Asia, with them uncertain if they can count on the US security commitments to them. Murray Heibert, an expert at the Washington-based Center of International and Strategic Studies think tank, holds that during the trip Harris should try to to present assurances about the US commitment to allies and that there are no parallels between Afghanistan and other allied states, among them Singapore and Vietnam, the two countries the vice president is going to visit. The East Asia trip has a single aim: Enhancing the image.
Israeli concerns and Biden trust-building steps
In addition to Washington's Western and Eastern allies, another important ally that is skeptical of Washington's support and deeply concerned about its future trust is the Israeli regime. The fall of Afghanistan in recent days has provoked strong critical reactions among the regime's political and security officials. Evidence suggests that the Israeli officials are following developments in Afghanistan with concern and do not think it is unlikely that these events will strengthen the resurgence of anti-Israeli factions in the Central Asian state.
Very senior defense sources told Breaking Defense that this was a “black day,” one which will reflect how countries in the region feel about America’s promises.
Moshe Ya'alon, a former Israeli defense minister who is now away for politics for a while, in the day of Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani’s fleeing from Afghanistan in a Twitter post said although Afghanistan is far away from the Israeli regime, the US retreat and the Taliban power gain impacts the US regional position and may influence the Israeli security.
Amos Yaldin, the former chief of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate who is now head of a prominent think tank, described Afghanistan developments a "fuel on the already burning fire" in the region, suggesting that it can bear negative effects for this part of the world. The retired general also referred to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, saying that every country considering itself allied to Washington finds out now that at the time of confronting the crisis it should not rely on the US. Makor Rishon magazine of Israel in an article wrote that the American weakness is going to squeeze a "high price" from Tel Aviv.
Following this level of negative reactions from the Israeli authorities and the media on the catastrophic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, we see that the US government seeks to enhance its image and emphasize the continuation of its guarantees to the Israelis. On August 26 Biden will receive Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for the first time at the White House. Biden's meeting with Bennett can be seen more than anything else Washington's highlight of its assurance to the Israeli political community about support persistence.
Syrian Kurds, next candidate victims of American betrayal
In addition to government actors, another important actor who has become seriously concerned about the future of its relations and cooperation with the White House as a result of the fall of Kabul is the Syrian Kurds. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have relied heavily on US support in the years since 2014, namely rise of ISIS terrorist group, playing the role of a Washington infantry on the Syrian battleground. The Syrian Kurds fell victim to American betrayal in two phases of the Turkish invasion of Afrin in 2018 and the Eastern Euphrates in 2020, but also refused to cooperate with the central government in the new conditions in which Damascus restored control over the country.
Now Kabul fall and the American fleeing from Afghanistan is worrisome for the Kurds more than any other US ally in the world. Betraying an independent country with a central government, the Americans find it a piece of cake to victimize the Syrian Kurds as a non-state actor for their interests.
Now it is time for the Kurdish leadership to play more responsible than before in countering the new developments, and take the path of dialogue and agreement with a now stronger Syrian government before they fall victim to another American betrayal.
