Sorry, I can’t do better

God knows – actually he doesn’t because there is no God, but never mind – how much I have toiled to come up with a blog about Afghanistan. I’ve started, re-started  and ultimately abandoned efforts to express how I feel about it, but it’s too tough. if I had been employed by a newspaper whose editor said, “Give me 800 words on Afghanistan by tea time”, I’d have been frog-marched out of the building by tea time. There was just too much to write about. So here I am anyway.

Joe Biden’s decision to implement Donald Trump’s plan for the withdrawal of US troops just feels like an almighty mistake to me. Having never been anywhere near Kabul, I have no idea what life is like there, but on the basis of what I read from others, it’s marginally better, or at least not as bad, as it was 20 years ago. Girls are being educated and not just been used as sex slaves. Women, although still very much second class citizens, can do more things than they used to do. You can hear music, if you want to. You can enjoy a version of freedom. But today, we take a step back to the middle ages, as religious maniacs take back control.

The human suffering will be heartbreaking. All the evil things that happened before will happen again. Many people will try to escape the country, some will try to come here, to the UK. That’s what happens with failed states. That’s why we used to spend 0.7% of our GDP in overseas aid, to prevent failed states, to prevent the mass movement of people. And today we face the consequences of our own failed policies.

I’ve been watching CNN and the pictures have drained what’s left of my brain. People literally trying to climb on a moving aircraft. No one does that unless they are absolutely desperate. Doubtless the Taliban will come looking for those people. You can guess the rest. Cut off limbs, decapitations, rape and of course that old favourite murder. And we are sitting here letting it happen. There’s nothing we can do except give to a charity that will directly help those on the ground (so not the Red Cross).

I’m sorry I can’t do better. Man’s inhumanity to man has got to me today and I can’t be objective.