European leaders reacted to the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan with disbelief, with some let down by America’s withdrawal.
World leaders once celebrated President Joe Biden’s election. Now, some are claiming that the handling of the U.S. withdrawal from the Asian nation is a major blunder.
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“I say this with a heavy heart and with horror over what is happening, but the early withdrawal was a serious and far-reaching miscalculation by the current administration,” said Norbert Roettgen, the chairman of the German parliament’s foreign relations committee. “This does fundamental damage to the political and moral credibility of the West.”
Roettgen has known Biden for years and was reportedly optimistic about his electoral victory.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly said, “For those who believed in democracy and freedom, especially for women, these are bitter even,” according to Politico, citing German media.
Sentiment in the United Kingdom echoed that of the Germans.
“Afghanistan is the biggest foreign policy disaster since Suez. We need to think again about how we handle friends, who matters, and how we defend our interests,” tweeted Tom Tugendhat, the Conservative chairman of Parliament’s foreign affairs committee.
“It showed conclusively that the U.S. could limit our actions and change our policy,” he wrote in an opinion article in the Times of London. He did not cite Biden by name.
Afghanistan is the biggest foreign policy disaster since Suez. We need to think again about how we handle friends, who matters and how we defend our interests.
In Kabul we’ve failed our friends and ourselves. We need to think again, fast.https://t.co/9t6x8AdoVm
— Tom Tugendhat (@TomTugendhat) August 16, 2021
In recent years, European leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron have pushed European nations to be less dependent on America for their security policy.
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“Naturally, this has damaged American credibility, along with that of the intelligence services and of the military,” said Ruediger Lentz, the executive director of the Aspen Institute in Berlin. “One can only hope that the damage to America’s foreign policy leadership can be quickly contained.”
