Stoltenberg Calls U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan ‘NATO’s Greatest Failure’
Jens Stoltenberg, former Secretary General of NATO and current Minister of Finance of Norway, described the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 as NATO’s heaviest political and military defeat.
In an interview with the British newspaper The Times, he stated, “This was NATO’s greatest failure.” While he referred to the decision to leave Afghanistan as “painful,” he added that he ultimately considers it to be “the right choice.”
The withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan, which took place on the last night of August 2021, marked the official end of nearly two decades of U.S. military presence in the country. This operation followed the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul and the collapse of the previous Afghan government.
Stoltenberg further mentioned in the same interview that during his tenure at NATO, one of his primary concerns was the threat posed by Donald Trump, the current President of the United States, to withdraw the U.S. from NATO. He expressed worry about the potential collapse of this military alliance during the NATO summit in 2018.
At that time, Trump had threatened that if other NATO members did not raise their military spending to two percent of their GDP, the U.S. might exit the alliance. According to notes from John Bolton, then U.S. National Security Advisor, some officials from the administration, including Mike Pompeo, had attempted to dissuade Trump from this decision.
Although Trump ultimately backed away from the idea of withdrawing the U.S. from NATO and expressed support for the alliance, he continued to criticize countries that contribute less to military spending.
The Taliban’s return to power and the collapse of the Afghan Republic have led many observers to reassess NATO’s record and the hurried manner of its withdrawal from Afghanistan. American politicians, including critics in Congress, have described this exit as a shameful retreat and a sign of confusion.
Additionally, reports from reputable international media such as The New York Times indicate that Washington’s efforts to build government-supporting militia groups in northern Afghanistan have failed to yield desirable results due to the recruitment of dissatisfied individuals and bandits.
