The Meaning of the Fall of Afghanistan
The Fall of Afghanistan has far reaching consequences beyond the horror inflicted on those now subjected to Taliban rule and those who died and suffered trying to prevent it.  It shows up President Biden as incompetent and unintelligent. He got the right advice from the Chiefs of Staff and ignored it.  The outcome will reinforce failed state regimes, like North Korea, and extremist Islamic and other groups.  It will destabilise the Middle East further as US credibility is eroded. This applies to Iraq, Lebanon and Libya in particular. It is a gift to Russia and China.  China believes that the US is a declining power.  This, in Beijing's eyes, proves the point. It will reinforce extreme but powerful regimes - like MBS's Saudi Arabia - to write their own script and ignore the US.  It will hinder trust of the US among US's allies, from Taiwan to Berlin .  And for US assets, it will make Biden's vast public spending initiatives more difficult to implement and more critically assessed.  This will call into question the strong dollar and promises higher yields