Professors discuss withdrawal’s impact on Biden’s legacy
By BENJAMIN KLIEWER, Student Reporter
With the United States’ withdrawal of military forces from Afghanistan complete, political pundits and keyboard warriors alike are discussing how the effort will define President Joe Biden’s legacy for years to come.
The Northwestern News sat down with two Northwestern history professors to get their perspectives on how the historic move will impact Biden’s presidency. Their responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Dr. Eric J. Schmaltz
Q: How will the withdrawal of military forces from Afghanistan define President Joe Biden’s legacy?
A: I agree with both Trump and Biden on the troop withdrawal, but the big question is how it was done. I think this is something that is going to tarnish his reputation when it comes to foreign policy. He was touted in the election that he’s got all the foreign policy experience, but this was a major shaking moment for him, a disturbing development. That is something in the long term that is going to affect his legacy when it comes to foreign policy.
Q: This withdrawal has been compared to the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam. What are some of the similarities and differences between the two?
A: In Vietnam, our troops were pretty much out of the fight after 1973. We let the South Vietnamese do the fighting. Then, two years later, the North Vietnamese have this big offensive, and they take the capital Saigon. That is when we evacuated our embassy and any remaining troops, diplomats and civilians, plus some of our Vietnamese friends. This might be even worse because of Afghanistan having a safe haven for terrorist groups going back to the 1990s. In Vietnam, there was no concern about terror squads or flying planes into buildings in the United States. They kicked us out. That is what they wanted. I think that’s the big difference.
Q: How could this withdrawal impact the 2022 midterm elections?
A: Certainly, the Republicans will hit Biden and the Democrats on that. Although, Biden would argue, and there is some truth, that he was following in the wake of Trump’s negotiations to withdraw American forces. The way it was done under Biden – that could have been done differently. So, I think Democrats will pay a price for that.
Q: How has the president’s handling of this situation affected America’s reputation on the world stage?
A: It sounds like with some of the decisions we made, we didn’t consult with the French or British as closely as maybe we should have. I think that hurt our standing with some of our allies. Other allies like Taiwan, they are dealing with mainland communist China. They have these alliances with us, and they’re like, “Will they be there when we need them?” On the other hand, our adversaries, I think they are going to be more emboldened. In fact, they already were before the Afghan crisis.
Q: After this withdrawal, does the U.S. still have the duty of nation-building and being the world’s metaphorical hall monitor?
A: We do still play a vital role in the world. We have troops stationed in over 140 countries in the world. We have a Navy that helps keep the sea channels open for trade to fight piracy. So, we are still doing a lot of good when it comes to security.
Q: What effects did previous administrations have on the withdrawal?
A: Obama was the first president to really try to get out of the region, but even he couldn’t do that. Trump wanted to pull out badly, too, but even he stayed in. I don’t know if there ever would have been a clean ending to Afghanistan, but I think that token force would have at least prevented such a rapid collapse.
Dr. Roger Hardaway
Q: How will the withdrawal of military forces from Afghanistan define President Joe Biden’s legacy?
A: First of all, some people think it’s a bad thing we are withdrawing. Some people think it’s a good thing we are withdrawing. You have what is called historical perspective. You won’t know what the ramifications of all this is for several years. It may show up in the election next year. It may show up in the election in 2024. It may turn out to be something that makes him very popular, that he ended the war. On the other hand, it may make him very unpopular because maybe the Taliban will take over Afghanistan.
Q: This withdrawal has been compared to the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam. What are some of the similarities and differences between the two?
A: They drew some parallels between the fall of Saigon in the Vietnam War, but the Afghanistan war was not the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was front-page news every day. People were afraid to flunk a class in college because they’re going to get drafted. We don’t have that anymore. I just don’t think the average ordinary American is going to worry about this in the long term.
Q: How could this withdrawal impact the 2022 midterm elections?
A: Every time there’s an election cycle, what is the hot button issue at the time? An old standard statement is it’s always the economy. I don’t think Afghanistan is going to be a big issue one way or the other, but what do I know is that I’m not a prophet. I just think that 99% of the people couldn’t find Afghanistan on a map, and it just doesn’t affect their daily lives. Now, if you’ve had a son or daughter that went over there – if you went over there and served yourself – that’s a different story. But how many people are there in that boat? One percent of the population, probably less.
Q: How has the president’s handling of this situation affected America’s reputation on the world stage?
A: I heard that people in Europe are not real happy with us.
Q: After this withdrawal, does America still have the duty of nation-building and being the world’s metaphorical hall monitor?
A: That is something we have been wrestling with in both political parties since I’ve been alive. We can’t be the world’s policemen. We’ve tried that, and it is not going to happen. We can be the leader of the free world again. We were, and we could be again.
Q: What effects did previous administrations have on the withdrawal?
A: I don’t know. Apparently, Biden couldn’t convince Obama to get out. Then Trump comes along and wants to invite the Taliban to come over to Camp David and talk to us, and they canceled that meeting. At one time, it was like we don’t negotiate with terrorists, but things change, so maybe it’s time to sit down and negotiate with terrorists. Apparently, the Taliban has again kind of sent some signals that “you can deal with us, and we will work with you a little bit.”