If you had any hope that Afghanistan would emerge as a prosperous, diverse and law-abiding country, forget about it.

As an example of the despicable authoritarian regime, a New York Times article indicates that the Taliban has closed all public universities to women. They can no longer be teachers or students. This form of discriminatory sexual abuse is a small part of numerous religious and cultural practices that demean woman and their role in Afghan society.

How can a country operate effectively in today’s world when it has laws that denigrate half of its population? How can men be so unkind, unempathetic and misogynistic to their mothers, wives and daughters? What are the women thinking every time they are abused by male relatives and strangers on the street for improperly covering their faces or leaving their home without a male escort? Are Afghan men concerned that other males will covet their wives? If their wives are so important and dear to them, why do they treat them with such scorn?

An emergence of Afghanistan would be more likely if women could respond to the tyranny of men in their lives with a high level of animosity. The citizens of the godforsaken place known as Afghanistan would benefit greatly by a new menu of rules that pertain to females in the country, and them receiving some level of equality. Why don’t women around the world support Afghan women with money and outspoken abject disgust of Afghan men?

Woman in the US have many issues that are unresolved, but they are on their way to equality. Females who are treated like second class citizens in other countries should call upon their sisters around the world for help and good wishes.

Another place to accelerate this effort is the UN. All nations should work together in an effort to bring men under control in countries like Afghanistan. The UN has frequently expressed its concern for human right violations against woman globally, but I believe this needs more focus on places like Afghanistan.

Some men have been abusing women in the name of religion and culture for centuries. It’s time these abuses were made public and governments proactively respond to end them.

In a previous blog post, I described the potential loss of credibility in the US because of the untimely and botched withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Once again, the US disappointed the global community of nations, but that does not mean nations around the world will not work and consult with the US to intervene in future diplomatic, political and financial crises.

An op-ed piece in the New York Times by Dennis Ross claims that the nation’s history since the 70s is proof that, in spite of several disagreements and embarrassments, other nations, the UN and NATO still solicit the help of the US on a regular basis.

Mr. Ross looks back on the “ignominious” 1975 evacuation of the last Americans in Vietnam. At first, credibility was in question “but it did not spell the end of American leadership on the world stage nor did it leave others to believe that they could not depend on the United States.”

In 1979, Jimmy Carter had to deal with a hostage crisis in which Americans were detained for 444 days. It was marked by a failed rescue attempt, while the rest of the world witnessed American impotence.

Ronald Reagan, after losing 241 Americans in the 1983 Beirut Barracks bombing, promised to avenge the death of American soldiers, but instead, withdrew our troops from Lebanon. No lasting harm was done to American credibility.

George W. Bush invaded Iraq, justified by the false belief that Saddam Hussein held weapons of mass destruction. The US effectively destroyed the country and unseeded Saddam. This action contributed to sectarian conflict and the evolution of ISIS. The fallout from these decisions did not relegate the US to a lesser role in global events.

Obama drew a red line on the use of chemical weapons by Syria. The president failed to react when such weapons were used on Syrian civilians. There was no great response to Obama’s hesitancy to react militarily.

Trump made several decisions including a threat to pull out of NATO and to invade Syria, which rolled off the backs of global leaders.

Recent Biden decisions to remove troops have Americans in an uproar along with the rest of the world. Internationally, the response will have a far less impactful than from domestic critics. Ironically, most Americans wanted the US to bring our troops home, but the tactics employed were ineffective and naïve. The blunders in Afghanistan may be a death toll for the Biden administration in the upcoming elections.

Everyone knew what was going to happen in Afghanistan except members of the Biden Administration. At some point, after 20 plus years of lost lives and treasure, an American president was going to end the occupation, and Taliban terrorists would be ready to swoop down and take control just as US troops were sent home.

The Taliban hate all foreigners, women, non-Muslims and believe that violence and human rights violations are not anti-social. All this bodes horribly for the rest of the world, as the Taliban encourages political instability by urging aspiring terrorists to organize, plan and raise money on their land.

Keep in mind, al Qaeda came together on Afghanistan soil and bin Laden orchestrated the 9/11 attacks. This was the reason the US invaded Afghanistan in the first place. An unbridled and authoritarian government led by Taliban maniacs is dangerous to all of its close neighbors and the rest of the world.

Afghanistan is a landlocked country with a population of 30 million located in Asia. It abuts Iran Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan. China and India are a stone’s throw away from Afghanistan territory. Frequently, Afghan rebels and terrorists cross the border and stir up local dissidents. Even China has been subjected to Afghan inspired insurrection.

Every invader of Afghanistan has been unsuccessful. Most recently, the US and Russia were added to the list of invaders that were unable to stabilize the country. The Taliban is resourceful, violence-prone and extremely dangerous. Mountainous territory protects the Taliban from external forces.

Joe Biden was the American president who finally made the move to end the US occupation of Afghanistan as mentioned above. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a clue about the ramifications of doing so and opted for a completely unrealistic strategy. He may or may not have been given these plans by his generals and intelligence officers. There seems to be some disagreement about the evolution of the strategy to pull out. No one is taking responsibility.

Biden evacuated U.S. troops first and then tried to evacuate US citizens and Afghans helpful to the US during the past 20 years. Why he did this process ass-backwards is a mystery, and the international media has been flailing him with questions about such nonsensical tactics. The process should have been US citizens first, and Afghan friends and soldiers next.

A mass and rapid exodus needs a functioning airport to move many people quickly. And the military must protect the airport. There was not enough troop support to watch over the airport and the embassy at the same time, another dumb tactic.

There is general speculation about who will benefit and who will suffer from the events in Afghanistan. Let’s go around the horn. The first country that comes to mind is Afghanistan itself.

The Taliban failed to realize that the US was the country’s sugar daddy for two decades. The US provided $1 trillion during this time, and we would have probably agreed to provide much more to a peaceful Afghanistan regime. The country passed up on billions of dollars of support. It is a loser, and it will be years, if ever, that the country is stabilized.

Many are saying China is going to enter the picture, befriend the Taliban and begin working with Afghanistan. Why would the Chinese agree to get involved on the heels of disasters for Russia and the US? They won’t invest in a society that is not prepared to operate civilly, peacefully and cooperatively.

The rhetoric out of China is what everyone might expect. “The US is imperialistic and not a good ally, blah blah blah.” I am sure that China will not be the next patsy to spend treasure and blood in the godforsaken hellhole known as Afghanistan. China gains little from the recent events and will only be able to propagandize US actions. Having Afghanistan as an ally is an automatic burden.

Other neighbors of Afghanistan are in mortal danger. The Taliban will likely encourage terrorists who train on their turf, for a price. This will result in internal strife and aggravation for countries in the region. Keep in mind Afghanistan is radically Islamic. All neighboring countries will lose.

The US will be in a better position in the long run assuming it can stifle any serious terrorist activity in Afghanistan directed at it. We will probably move to attack any meaningful terrorist activities with bombing campaigns. And, we are going to stop giving Afghanistan costly military and economic support. It is a win for the US in the short term.

However, the reputation of the US from a diplomatic perspective is going to hell in a handbasket. Biden is responsible for walking away from an ally. Terrorism in the region will increase exponentially. Heart-breaking violence against women will increase to unheard of levels. Other kinds of humanitarian crimes will occur throughout the country. All the lives of helpful Afghanistan people that are lost will be on the shoulders of President Biden.

And finally, Biden has undoubtedly proven that he is not a wartime commander. This will hurt him and the Democrats in future elections.

The downfall of Afghanistan is more than a remarkable event after 20 years of occupation. The US cut its support of the government, and within days, Taliban forces overwhelmed the whole country.

It’s now obvious that military power was the only thing holding the country together under the previous regime. As US ground forces exited and bombing strikes subsided, theocratic rebels took control of the country.

The US effort to nation build was once again a failure as it has been in so many places around the world in recent decades. Building a democracy with fair elections, a constitution, a court system and a unified army are extremely difficult tasks. This compares to the ragtag rebels who commit acts of terror and make it impossible for elected leaders to be elected and govern.

After 20 years, the Afghanistan project was a bust. Then again, no invaders of Afghanistan, in history, have ever been successful. The country’s rough terrain and religious driven male population has made the Taliban a tough competitor.

Why did the United States invade and occupy Afghanistan in the first place? The most important reason was the growth of terrorist organizations in the region, and 9/11, in which terrorists acted with impunity to undermine the US.

The US retaliated and our politicians decided to stay and nation build in a place where it is a mission impossible. US politicians believe that after you destroy a country with mighty force, you must rebuild it and make it a democracy. Afghans proved that they only respond to perpetual brute force.

After a few years, the country was controlled by puppets supported by the US. This resulted in some gains, but the Taliban never gave up. They resented US occupation and patiently waited in the wings for the US to leave.

The Taliban is driven by religion, a strong nationalistic vein and violent male domination. These characteristics have resulted in outrageous human rights violations against religious nonbelievers and women. The country is a despicable place, as it has been for ages.

What are the ramifications from the downfall of Afghanistan democracy? For one thing, it is a great victory for theocracies and authoritarian government in the region. Religious passion in repelling an enemy is a great asset going all the way back to the Crusades.

Another thing is the question of democratic experimentation. There are a few places in the world that have a stable enough society that can be democratic. Because of demographics, religion, social customs, geography and so much more it may be impossible for some countries to convert into a democracy.

I hate to say it, but the American blood and treasure expended on the Afghanistan experiment was for naught. Twenty years, a trillion dollars and thousands of casualties and injuries make the whole effort seem like a tragic misstep. Keep in mind the original military objective was to find and kill terrorists that attacked the US.

What of Biden’s decision to abandon the country? It was bad but remaining in Afghanistan would have also been a mistake. Maybe we should have left troops in in the country. But the same result was inevitable, it just would have been delayed.

The broader geopolitical implications are that theocratic and authoritarian regimes like Iran have been emboldened along with terrorists in countries that are not aligned with Iran, such as Saudi Arabia and Israel. The region is ripe for more turmoil and government turnovers.

American diplomacy has taken a great hit. No matter what, people around the world will say that US walked away from Afghanistan when the going got tough.