Hurricane Ida hitting the country these days; the upcoming commemorations of the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 attacks; not to mention the ongoing fight against the pandemic or the parliamentary battle around the next parts of the recovery plan … Enough to make Americans forget, little by little, the dramatic images that accompanied the pitiful departure of their troops from Afghanistan. After all, public opinion across the Atlantic, all political labels combined, was overwhelmingly in favor of this withdrawal after an interminable war, costly in lives and money. And if Joe Biden has shown serious flaws in the action in recent weeks – not to say that he has shown his age – he is nonetheless a champion of compassion than only the families of the last 13 victims. Americans in Kabul today may find it difficult to accept.
It will undoubtedly be more difficult, on the other hand, to make the allies of the United States forget the confusion and the lack of consultation which surrounded the Afghan disengagement. Many foreign leaders have discovered another side of the White House host. Far from the warm image given so far, they were confronted with a man locked in his certainties, refusing any contradiction. After that of the Kurds by Donald Trump, in 2019, the recent release of the Afghans in the open countryside has raised concerns in Ukraine and Taiwan as to the solidity of the American commitment on their side, respectively vis-à-vis Russia and China. Because, until now, whether on the issue of vaccine sharing or on commercial issues, the “America is back” launched by Joe Biden when he came to power has mainly resulted in “back to America”.
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