USA buried and humiliated in 'graveyard of empires' by the Taliban

AMERICA'S AFGHAN DEBACLE: THE DEATH OF TRUST? 

In the coming days -- and likely months, even years -- America's humiliating defeat in Afghanistan is going to be the stuff of much rumination.

An early example is the piece below by SCMP's most readable, non-neocolonialist writer (tap photo below). It recaps key points discussed in this group and adds new ones. Excerpts:

"The Afghan debacle has undermined America’s much-vaunted credibility at a time when it is sweet-talking and arm-twisting allies to join its anti-China crusade. It reinforces again America’s well-deserved reputation for serial foreign policy misadventures.

"Just last month, US President Joe Biden said: 'The likelihood there’s going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely'... 

"Given the way friendly Afghans have been abandoned in full view of the world, on live TV in real time, which allies can now honestly say they trust any US promise and ability enough to place their own national security and safety in America’s hands?

"Some Western pundits now argue the US withdrawal/defeat presents a dilemma for Beijing, as if the Taliban will now turn on China. The signs currently say the opposite. But even if the Taliban continues to harbour the East Turkestan Islamic Movement seeking Xinjiang independence, the terrorist group is containable. So long as the Chinese don’t delude themselves, as the Americans did, that they have a military option in Afghanistan, any other mistakes will be salvageable in this 'graveyard of empires'."