Afghanistan has been known as one of the deadliest countries for quite some time. The US Department of State’s travel recommendation has said flat out said to “not travel to Afghanistan” due to its high levels of “civil unrest, armed conflict, crime, terrorism, kidnapping, and COVID-19”. The 2021 version of the Global Peace Index ranks Afghanistan as the most dangerous country in the world, due to its incredibly high GPI index score, a score based on “qualitative and quantitative indicators”. With the Taliban taking control of the nation and government, the chaos added onto an already unstable country has been immeasurable.
The Afghan president has fled for his own safety, leaving millions of civilians to fend for themselves. Meanwhile, US president Joe Biden plans to evacuate the 2,500-3,000 soldiers left on duty, effectively ending the Forever War. Soon enough, Afghanistan will be under total control by the extremist organization. Yet a question pops up in my mind. Could the Taliban have been eradicated decades ago?
A good friend of mine posted an Instagram story stating how the Taliban issue could have been eradicated if former US leader Ronald Reagan had thought of the future consequences more seriously. His opinion sparked an interest in me, which immediately made me research about the topic and the true history of Afghanistan.
As stated on NPR’s Afghanistan Timeline spanning 40 years, the country was first invaded by the Soviet Union, now well known as Russia. The invasion was during the height of the Cold War, a battle between the two nuclear powerhouses of the Soviets and the Americans. Both fought against each other in different countries to spread their own ideals to minor countries. One supported communism, while the other supported democracy and personal expression. In the end, the two sides created a truce in the 1990s, ending the Cold War.
When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the Americans saw the takeover as another warning sign of a government ready to influence communism. When Reagan was elected in 1980, he vowed to end the Cold War, or to at least reduce it significantly. His best bet on getting rid of the Soviets in Afghanistan was to fund the anti-Soviet “freedom fighters”, who were determined to get their country back.
Reagan and the CIA would eventually give weapons and supplies to the fighters officially named “Operation Cyclone”. At first the US would give them small amounts of money, but later would provide them with “billions of dollars”, as stated by former Army Major, Mike Lyons. These fighters would drive off the Soviets after a decade of struggle. These fighters would eventually become the Taliban, and later wage war against America after being ignited by the words of the infamous Osama Bin Laden.
In conclusion, Reagan did create the Taliban, but unintentionally and indirectly to solve the larger crisis at hand. That larger crisis was the Cold War. He protected his generation from Soviet harm, but killed thousands of the future generation in the 9/11 attacks and other terrorism attacks led by Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Reagan cannot be considered the scapegoat here, but serves as an important reminder that nothing is ever permanent in this world.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2021/08/19/1028472005/afghanistan-conflict-timeline
Image Credits: Ronald Reagan Library
