Skip to main content
The US empire’s scramble out of Afghanistan
As Saigon marked the end of US geostrategic ambitions in Indochina, so Kabul marked the end of the same in central Asia. JOHN WIGHT reflects on Washington’s undignified Afghan exit, one year on
Taliban fighters celebrate one year since they seized the Afghan capital, Kabul, in front of the U. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, August 15, 2022

EMPIRES advance and empires retreat, though not in circumstances of their own choosing — to borrow from one Karl Marx — and certainly never smoothly or without upending entire regions, countries and societies in their wake.

With this in mind, what unfolded in Afghanistan a year ago with the panicked withdrawal of US forces to end Washington and its allies’ 20-year occupation of the country was a historic tipping point, a significant signpost pointing to US hegemonic and imperial decline. 

In this respect, the chaotic and panicked scenes at Kabul airport, where US and British military forces hastily attempted to effect the evacuation of their own nationals still in the country, along with those Afghans who worked with them during the country’s occupation, drew comparison with Saigon in 1975. They did so with good reason.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
Chris Eubank Jr (left) and Conor Benn face-off during a press conference at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. Picture date: Thursday April 24, 2025
Men's boxing / 25 April 2025
25 April 2025

JOHN WIGHT previews the much-anticipated bout between Benn and Eubank Jnr where — unlike the fights between their fathers — spectacle has reigned over substance

Dave
Men’s boxing / 11 April 2025
11 April 2025
JOHN WIGHT takes us on a journey back to a decade defined by union power, pop stars, and gritty football icons - no boxer embodied the heart and soul of 1970s Britain quite like Dave Boy Green
George Foreman yells, October 15, 1974, in N'Sele, Kinshasa,
Men’s Boxing / 28 March 2025
28 March 2025
JOHN WIGHT pays tribute to the late great George Foreman who defied the odds throughout his life and career to become a household name and legend of the sport
John H. Stracey (right) who is to defend his European welter
Men’s boxing / 14 March 2025
14 March 2025
JOHN WIGHT writes about the fascinating folklore surrounding the place which has been home to some of the most ferocious bareknuckle and unlicensed fighters throughout history
Similar stories
Bread and Roses
Film of the week / 21 November 2024
21 November 2024
MARIA DUARTE is moved and outraged by a courageous undercover documentary that explores the plight of women in Afghanistan
Former Afghan interpreters protest in front of the Home Offi
Books / 26 July 2024
26 July 2024
DOC RITCHIE assesses an account of the disastrous evacuation by last British ambassador to Afghanistan