Everything is Interconnected

Last week our nation came to a standstill as we watched in horror how quickly things deteriorated in Afghanistan. Thanks to failed policies from the Biden-Harris administration, we saw the tragic deaths of 13 U.S. service members and the Taliban take total control over the country. 

With so many crises occurring in our own country, some Americans may wonder why the media chooses to focus on the plight of people so far away. After all, there are many Americans who are suffering and dying every day in many urban cities run by Democrats.

The terrible domestic and international policy decisions made by the Biden-Harris administration — and the Democrats who control Congress — do not grant the American people any sense of confidence in their ability to keep us safe. When you look at the situation in Afghanistan — with the deaths of over a dozen service members, marking the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan over a decade — the average person sitting in a living room in North Carolina or New Mexico might ask, “how does this impact me”?

The mainstream media is failing to explain the interconnectedness of the world, and how the instability of places like Afghanistan, Cuba, Mexico, Middle East (including our ally Israel), and Africa have a negative impact on everyday American lives too. 

The reason we should all care about Afghanistan is because for nearly 20 years we were able to have a sustained presence in that country where we could work with our partners. We worked to ensure that we could gather intelligence and prevent future terrorist attacks on the United States after 9/11. 

One of the main reasons the U.S. went to Afghanistan was to obliterate the stronghold of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, so they could no longer have a home base to plan and plot further terrorist attacks on our country. For nearly 20 years we were successful in gathering intelligence and ensuring that no further acts of terror were carried out in the U.S. 

Now with President Joe Biden not having a conditions-based withdrawal and totally deserting our allies, the Taliban is calling the shots. The Taliban is creating dominance in a region where they can work with several American adversaries to advance their evil mission. That’s right: Joe Biden allowed a vicious terrorist group to take control of Afghanistan.

With the Taliban in control, the entire region is more vulnerable, and thus we are more vulnerable to terrorism. The Taliban now has billions of dollars of U.S. tax-payer funded military weapons, vehicles and equipment. Additionally, there is a new terrorist group claiming responsibility for the most recent deadly attack and the Biden-Harris administration can’t seem to rule out the Taliban’s involvement. 

We should care about the sacrifice of those who have fought and died in Afghanistan to keep us safe. Those patriots served honorably for a good cause, and veterans today are now asking themselves if their service was in vain. Those Gold Star family members and others who served are asking: “did those Americans who perished, die in vain when you look at the aftermath of the decisions that Joe Biden made leading to the chaos that we all see in Afghanistan?”

In terms of the exit from Afghanistan, all of us will have to deal with the horrible decisions of the Biden-Harris administration for many years to come. Not just from an intelligence standpoint, but also from a humanitarian standpoint due to the thousands of Afghan refugees, translators, soldiers, women, and children being displaced because of the Taliban’s presence in their country.   

The failed leadership of the current administration will have an impact on every American citizen. Elections have consequences, and we are witnessing the consequences of having Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Democrats in control. We see it, we feel it, and we will suffer the consequences for a very long time. 

Paris Dennard is the National Spokesperson and Director of Black Media Affairs for the Republican National Committee (RNC). Follow him on Twitter: @PARISDENNARD.