9/11, Afghanistan and U.S. symbols in retrospect with Dr. Demars
Almost twenty years after the terrorist attacks on September 11th, the war in Afghanistan has ended. The U.S military withdrawal from the country has been constantly in the news for the past month, from the bombing of the Kabul airport to the long-term impacts of the withdrawal.
William Demars, professor of government and foreign affairs at Wofford College, provided insight and background to the withdrawal. Demars has taught at Wofford since 2001 and has lived in places all over the world, including Europe and Asia.
“Afghanistan was only one front in the Global War on Terror. G-WOT is what President Bush called it,” said Demars.
The War on Terror was the U.S response to the attacks on 9/11. According to an article in the LA Times, the war in Afghanistan might be over, but America’s struggle against terrorism is ongoing. An understanding of the importance of Afghanistan requires looking back across two decades, Demars explained.
Demars stated, “The attacks of 9/11 were terrorist attacks, which means a certain number of people dead and a lot of people watching. They hijacked more than 4 jet planes. They hijacked our civilian airliners, they hijacked our televisions, they hijacked the skyscrapers. Those three American technologies, those symbols of American greatness were all hijacked. Not just the planes.”
More than the physical damage and the 2977 dead (CNN), the symbolic damage was just as important for the terrorists responsible. The consequences of that symbolic attack are the reason Afghanistan is in crisis right now. However, while some experts say that the War on Terror will continue, others, including Former White House security advisor, Ben Rhoades, believe that the 9/11 era might be coming to an end (The Guardian).
“It’s impossible to know what’s going to happen next,” said Demars. “The worst case scenario is that this becomes the mirror image opposite of the Berlin Airlift of 1948.” Demars drew a parallel between what has happened in Afghanistan and one of the most iconic events of the 20th century.
“The US flies into West Berlin food and coal and keeps West Berlin alive. That convinced the world that the US can be trusted as an ally.” In the years following the crisis in Berlin, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed and West Berlin became a symbol for hope in the Soviet Bloc.
“So these symbolic gestures can have tremendous impact, and for decades.” Demars continued,“maybe (Afghanistan) is another storm that blows over—or it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
If the withdrawal in Afghanistan were to become an “opposite” to the Berlin Airlift, United States’ allies and other countries in the world would lose faith in our foreign policy decisions, a possibility that Demars could see becoming a reality.
When asked about the current decision to withdraw troops by the Biden administration, Demars provided his insight. “For us, it’s about us,” he said. “We’re bringing our troops home, we’re not spending any more money. It’s America first. President Biden picked up so much ‘America first’ from Trump.”
