By Friedrich Kratochwil

Ruminations about the fall of Kabul

The hasty retreat of the U.S. from Afghanistan and the re-establishment of Taliban rule in Kabul are certainly events that justify further critical reflection. But such a reflection is neither helped by attempts to prophesize about “the future” of the world, of the West, the East or whatever, nor is it as simple as connecting, for example two past events and draw a straight line which presumably discloses where we are going, as the narrative line “from Saigon to Kabul” suggests. For one, yes, Vietnam was a defeat of U.S. policies, as is the “loss” of Afghanistan, and here the undeniable disaster of the hasty and nearly irresponsible withdrawal will provide ample room for criticism, but the “meaning” of the event will probably remain contested.