The humiliating withdrawal of America from Afghanistan has become the subject of debates in the whole world. In the past it was US which had trained and armed Taliban to counter the Russian influence. The sword the US wielded has finally become its nemesis. America, the biggest power with the largest military machine, on which it annually spends about one-sixth of its federal budget, fought its longest war for 20 years and spent 2.3 trillion dollars of its taxpayers. Yet it had to withdraw ignominiously from that small, underdeveloped country. This war claimed lives of 3600 American and foreign troops of its allies. The loss on the Afghan side was staggering and heart-wrenching. The Afghans suffered the death of 69000 troops under US command. Besides, 51000 civilians and 51000 Taliban, whom they call terrorists, were also killed. The injured on US side are around 20,000. It is estimated that the injured on Afghan side are about 8 to 10 lakhs.
The brunt of the war has to be borne mainly and heavily by the poor Afghans. We have seen during the last six to seven decades the same story of death and destruction repeated in North Korea and Vietnam. Also in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Yemen. Same is being done by its protege Israel in Palestine. If these human and material resources had been used for the general benefit of humanity in those countries it would have been great achievement and a real and precious service to humanity.
America swears by democracy and human rights and claims that it wants to promote democracy in the countries it invaded or intervened into. In all cases it harmed these countries immeasurably. America must learn now that it has to change its mentality. It should shun the hidden motives of economic imperialism and its hidden agenda of imposing its will on weaker nations and controlling and utilising their resources for its own benefit. In most of the conflicts and wars the real motive has been self-aggrandisement, narrow national interest and economic benefits.
The world will not be able to taste universal peace, tranquillity and overall progress in countries of the world unless genuine love for human brotherhood and true concern for uplifting the people of the whole world morally, socially and economically is not generated and the big powers renounce the policy of exploitation of weaker nations. The need is to promote and inculcate the fundamental moral principle of one God, one humanity and one goal of welfare of all mankind. The decades of wars are over. Now we should resolve that the days of exploitation also should be brought to an end. It is a noble obligation. It can’t be achieved in the absence of a genuinely humanitarian and merciful approach. Every individual, every society and every nation should strive sincerely to promote this thinking and this approach in the family, in the larger society, and among the nations of the world in the mutual relations and interactions.