Open letter to the EU High-Representative: Situation in Afghanistan

Dear Vice President Borrell,

Following your statement on the situation in Afghanistan and your warning to the Taliban that they would be ostracized if they were to seize power by force, the news of the past few days about the fall of Kabul and the collapse of the government means that your warnings will go unheeded have faded away.

I fully understand that this situation is entirely due to President Biden’s unilateral decision to abandon Afghanistan and render the last twenty years of nation building worthless. We broke our commitment to the millions of Afghans who believed our promises.

As much as President Biden may be reluctant to make this comparison, the scenes at Bagram Air Force Base are undoubtedly reminiscent of Saigon, and in an increasingly troubled environment, this lack of commitment to partners in the world’s troubled regions does not bode well.

Given that the Taliban ignored your warnings, are there any policy options you have at your disposal to mitigate the damage caused by the Biden administration? Can we offer any help or protection to the Afghans who have worked to rid Afghanistan of the malevolent influence of the Taliban?

I have the impression that we have dishonored the Afghan people and the soldiers who gave their lives to protect an emerging democracy.
It can be assumed that President Biden is satisfied that Afghanistan is ruled by the Taliban; the question now is which way the European Union is going, since we can only see any point in it if we develop independent policies that are not influenced by a completely chaotic US foreign policy.

Kind regards

Lars Patrick Berg