DailyPost 1789
THEY ALSO SERVE WHO WAIT & WATCH!
The world looks aghast to watch what has been happening in Afghanistan in the last few days. The creation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan puts a seal on the patience the world has to watch anything unfolding. They also serve who wait and watch seems to have been the world’s political response to literally anything, until it comes to your own life and your territory. Most responses from the persons who wield power globally, individually and collectively, are still in the wait and watch mode. The intriguing part of the unfolding narrative is that there is not much left to wait and watch. A barbaric Stone Age Empire in the third decade of the 21st century, negates literally everything the world has stood for.
The biggest truth which has come out of this man made crisis, is that the powers will always act at their whims and fancies, at the time of their convenience and the manner in which they want to engage. It seems to be the biggest crisis in statesmanship, of leadership, in decision making and of global collaboration. Even in a situation of this nature, the world leaders don’t huddle together, to find out the best possible response. If waiting and watching can be considered a response, then why have most of the ill-gotten actions taken by democratic countries, in hindsight turn out to be unwarranted. Successful decision making and pulling it through seems to have become the political narrative of yesteryears.
A fitting response is not in the scheme of things, countries are just trying to get their citizens back. That is the only crisis they can think and imagine. Once they are done with that, they would go in for a much more serious wait and watch. The Taliban’s of the world have realized that big statements emanating from prominent world capitals are just lip service. It’s just being politically correct. The media has already started reporting Taliban 2.0. The very lingo of 2.0 in this context is disgusting. Has the world been able to consolidate the US success in killing Osama Bin Laden after the costliest, most complex and extremely long criminal chase in human history? The answer is no. A rag tag roving band had challenged the might of the US.
That was the US then, today Taliban challenges the rules based world order. We are back to square one or even worse. That we can forget our learnings in no time will ever remain a mystery of the human psyche. That all intelligences failed and so did professional expertise and acumen. There has been a total absence of the capability to gauge ground situations. Every political leadership’s presumption that they don’t commit mistakes, has been their biggest folly, which the citizens have always paid for.* Every country is out to defend its policies and actions in the face of an abject failure. While we keep working hard to prove the indefensible, Taliban is having the last laugh. They have made a mockery of the world.
DOES THE WORLD HAVE A STAND?
Sanjay Sahay