When Angela Merkel talked on Wednesday about the awful situation and hopelessness in Afghanistan, much of what she said was undeniable.
"We are bearing witness to dreadful human dramas," she said. Or: "The developments of the last few days have been terrible and bitter." Or: "For many people in Afghanistan, it's nothing short of a tragedy."
That's all true. But she has known this, we have known this and the whole world has known this at least since the Taliban marched into the capital, Kabul, to take over the country once again. And in view of the dramatically rapid collapse of the previous status quo in Afghanistan following the hasty withdrawal of foreign troops, you'd expect much more from a chancellor who's been in power since 2005 and responsible for 16 of the 20 years German boots have been on the ground in the country.
You'd expect more than just a well-merited "thank you" to German troops, aid workers, diplomats and local support staff on the chancellor's way out the door. You'd expect, at the very least, some clear and critical self-reflection. Or better yet, an apology in Germany's name for two decades of failed policies and the abandonment of so many people who for years risked their lives assisting the Bundeswehr and other organizations.
The answer to almost all rhetorical questions: Yes!
At the start of the military mission in Afghanistan, the declared goals seemed credible enough: fighting terrorism and the Taliban while at the same time standing up for democracy and human rights. But it was soon evident that the international alliance misjudged its own strength. All warnings were completely ignored, including by four German governments led by Merkel — three combining her Christian Democrats (CDU) with the Social Democrats (SPD), and one with the Free Democrats (FDP). So these parties, too, bear blame for the disaster in Afghanistan.
But German chancellors must never hide behind their governments. Yet this is exactly what Merkel has done by asking one question after the other — and never making an attempt to provide an answer. "Were our goals too ambitious?" was her first question. The answer would have been simple and could have consisted of just one word: Yes!
"Should we have taken the major cultural differences more seriously? Should we have given the historical lessons of the past more weight?" Again, crickets in place of a resounding "yes." "Did we underestimate the level of corruption in Afghanistan or its effect on those running the country?" Again, yes! The simple answer was yes!
Ignoring the warnings for 20 years
Angela Merkel asked many more questions during her address, revealing in the process one thing above all: her cluelessness. The main point came at the end: "I ask these questions in the full knowledge that it would be presumptuous of me to think I can give well-founded, let alone conclusive answers today."
Here, she is right at least to a certain extent, as it would be very wrong to give conclusive answers about anything concerning Afghanistan while German troops are still engaged in evacuation efforts at risk of their lives. But all the same, the chancellor has let herself off the hook too easily with this assessment. That is because all the questions she asked have been begging answers for many years, not just for a few days.
And those answers have often enough been given during this time. Yes, the goals were too ambitious. Yes, the cultural differences weren't taken seriously enough. Yes, the corruption in Afghanistan was gigantic. These were the conclusions reached by military experts and business experts, as well as by experts from the worlds of culture and academia. Parliamentarians in the Bundestag also came up with them.
But those answers were ignored by the different governments led by Angela Merkel — probably against their better judgment. Because no one wanted to admit that the mission in Afghanistan had failed as long as the US was still on the ground there. Chancellor Merkel, who will be leaving office soon, could have at least said something about this before exiting the podium.
This article has been translated from German.