Afghanistan Peace Campaign
The U.S. defense secretary called the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal a tragic disaster, blaming it for weakening America’s global position and influence.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has sharply criticized the Biden administration’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling it a “tragic and catastrophic” failure that weakened America’s global standing. Speaking at a defense summit in Florida, Hegseth said the chaotic exit not only claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghan civilians but also emboldened adversaries worldwide.
According to Fox News, Hegseth claimed that the suicide bombing at Kabul airport during the evacuation was a direct result of poor political decisions. He further argued that the disorderly retreat signaled vulnerability, setting a precedent that ultimately encouraged Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
This line of reasoning echoes previous statements by President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly asserted that the Afghanistan withdrawal projected weakness that emboldened Vladimir Putin. Hegseth said, “If the Afghanistan disaster hadn’t happened, the Ukraine war likely wouldn’t have either.”
Hegseth confirmed that the Department of Defense will continue a full investigation into the withdrawal’s failures through 2026, aiming to hold decision-makers accountable. He emphasized that America’s global image suffered due to the withdrawal, especially among NATO allies and adversaries like China and Russia.
However, many analysts and critics argue that blaming the Afghanistan withdrawal for the Ukraine war oversimplifies the issue. Experts from institutions like the Council on Foreign Relations note that long-standing tensions between NATO and Russia, energy politics, and internal Russian dynamics played a far more direct role in Putin’s aggression.
Despite political rhetoric, a broader view suggests the Ukraine conflict had multiple geopolitical drivers. While the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan remains a contentious and painful chapter, attributing global conflicts solely to it lacks nuance.
As the Pentagon’s internal review continues, policymakers and scholars alike stress the need to learn from past military exits while recognizing the complexity of international security decisions.