UK struggles for influence as Afghan crisis strains US ties

3 years ago 348

LONDON – The messy exit of Western subject forces from Afghanistan and the swift takeover of the state by the Taliban has stunned officials successful Britain and strained the U.K.'s “special relationship” with its astir important ally, the United States.

London’s powerlessness, truthful far, to alteration Washington’s people besides is simply a stroke to U.K. hopes that an assertive “Global Britain” volition beryllium a large planetary subordinate successful the aftermath of its exit from the European Union.

The main stumbling artifact up of an exigency acme of Group of Seven leaders connected Tuesday is simply a deadline for the U.S. effort to evacuate thousands of Americans, Afghans and others from Kabul. U.S. troops are scheduled to extremity their ngo connected Aug. 31, and Britain wants an extension. President Joe Biden near unfastened that possibility, but the Taliban telephone the day a “red line,” saying that prolonging the American beingness would “provoke a reaction.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has spoken to Biden lone erstwhile successful caller weeks — 2 days aft the Taliban took Kabul — and called the virtual G-7 gathering successful anticipation of having immoderate interaction connected the chaotic people of events. Britain presently holds the presidency of the nine of affluent nations.

British officials admit the limits of their influence, saying the airlift volition extremity erstwhile American troops depart.

“We person antecedently spoken to different NATO countries astir staying, and that didn’t beryllium to beryllium a viable option,” said Johnson’s spokesman, Max Blain. “We are going to request to permission the airdrome astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic the Americans.”

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who has called the U.S. woody with the Taliban that acceptable the Aug. 31 deadline a “mistake,” struck an astir pleading tone, saying that if Biden extended the cognition “even by a time oregon two, that volition springiness america a time oregon 2 much to evacuate people.”

“Because we are truly down to hours now, not weeks, and we person to marque definite we exploit each infinitesimal to get radical out.”

About 1,000 British soldiers are stationed astatine Kabul’s airport, alongside astir 6,000 American troops, to negociate the evacuation.

Senior U.K. subject officers person expressed choler implicit the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan, saying it exposes the hollowness of the trans-Atlantic “special relationship” — a operation utilized since World War II to accent the bonds of history, relationship and shared diplomatic interests betwixt London and Washington.

More than 150,000 British troops served successful Afghanistan successful the years aft the U.S.-led 2001 penetration — the largest contingent aft the Americans — and 457 died successful the campaign.

Biden had lukewarm words astir the confederation erstwhile helium and Johnson met for the archetypal clip astatine a G-7 acme successful England successful June.

“We affirmed the peculiar narration — it’s not said lightly — the peculiar narration betwixt our people,” Biden said.

Although the 2 leaders struck a affirmative code erstwhile they met, they person precise antithetic temperaments. Biden staunchly opposed Britain’s exit from the European Union that was championed by the populist, crowd-pleasing Johnson, and erstwhile called him a “physical and affectional clone” of erstwhile President Donald Trump.

Britain’s deficiency of clout with Washington underscores the fragility of Johnson’s extremity of making post-Brexit “Global Britain” a cardinal planetary subordinate and span betwixt the U.S. and Europe.

Leaders crossed Europe were relieved erstwhile Biden replaced Trump, an isolationist who repeatedly disparaged NATO and insulted America’s allies. Biden renewed U.S. committedness to planetary clime alteration targets, which Trump had ripped up, and reassured allies that the U.S. was backmost arsenic a reliable partner.

But helium has stuck to Trump’s committedness to extremity the U.S. warfare successful Afghanistan, adjacent arsenic the velocity of the Taliban takeover this period caught Washington and its allies by surprise.

Opponents accidental Johnson's unwillingness to enactment intimately with the EU and his determination to slash Britain's overseas assistance budget, citing the economical stroke of the pandemic, makes “Global Britain” small much than a slogan.

And they impeach the authorities of a dilatory and disorganized effect to the Afghanistan crisis. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was connected abrogation successful Greece arsenic the Taliban swept toward the Afghan capital, returning a time aft Kabul fell connected Aug. 15.

Johnson spoke to Biden by telephone connected Aug. 17, 2 days aft the autumn of Kabul. In a bland connection aft the call, Johnson’s bureau said they “resolved to proceed moving intimately unneurotic connected this successful the days and weeks up to let arsenic galore radical arsenic imaginable to permission the country.” British media reported that it took Biden 36 hours to instrumentality the British leader’s call.

U.K. Armed Forces Minister James Heappey acknowledged that Britain would person liked “a much conditions-based” U.S. withdrawal, but helium insisted the peculiar narration remains strong.

“Of people erstwhile you disagree with your closest person it hurts, it causes consternation connected some sides of the relationship," helium told Sky News. "But perfectly cipher should deliberation that the U.S and the U.K. person thing but the deepest and strongest of relationships.”

Thomas Gift, manager of the Center connected U.S. Politics astatine University College London, said events successful Afghanistan “will marque different Western powers much steely eyed astir the world that, adjacent nether Biden, U.S. enactment volition prosecute policies that it sees successful its ain interests, careless of disapproval by the planetary community.”

But helium said Biden remained overmuch much of an planetary squad subordinate than Trump.

“What we’re seeing present is not simply a diluted mentation of an ‘America first, America alone’ overseas policy,” helium said. “We’re seeing Biden connected 1 contented — granted, a hugely important 1 — scope a antithetic decision than galore different planetary leaders.”

—-

Follow each AP stories connected Afghanistan astatine https://apnews.com/hub/Afghanistan.

Read Entire Article