Was ‘Chaos-istan' Inevitable?

How Biden's influence during the Obama administration had long-lasting effects

- By David Loyn

THE LONGEST MISSION

In his March 2009 speech, Obama said U.S. Troops were in Afghanistan to “Disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al-Qaeda.” Here, U.S. soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division take cover as a Blackhawk helicopter takes off on May 24, 2009 in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, southwest of Kabul.

When President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, he inherited former President Donald Trump’s plan for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. The two men agree on little. Yet, Biden honored the agreement. In fact, Biden has supported reducing troops on the ground for years, advising President Barack Obama to limit involvement there back in 2009, even as Obama’s generals were recommending an increased American presence, as discussed in this excerpt from award-winning, former BBC journalist David Loyn’s new book, The Long War: The Inside Story of America and Afghanistan since 9/11 (St. Martin’s Press, September 21). In the wake of the U.S.’ unilateral withdrawal from Afghanistan and the country’s swift fall to the Taliban, Loyn and his work offer an insight into Biden’s policy in the region and into some of the decisions that were made while he was vice president to a new president with little foreign policy experience.