Ryan Crocker on Afghanistan

… what is happening in Afghanistan isn’t going to stay in Afghanistan. This will be felt around the world.

Former ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker on the stakes of the country’s collapse to the Taliban.

• Ambassador Crocker served under Democrat and Republican presidents. His most recent appointment was under President Obama as ambassador to Afghanistan in 2011.
• Crocker served all over the world in his 4-decade career, including as ambassador in Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon and Pakistan.
• Why It Matters: The ambassador’s comments highlight a different perspective on the White House. On the same day former Ambassador Crocker shared his thoughts on the ripple effects of the collapse of Afghanistan to the Taliban, President Biden said the following:

“And to talk about how our interests are going to be impacted: Let me tell you, you’re sitting in Beijing or you’re sitting in Moscow — are you happy we left? (Laughs.) They’d love nothing better for us to continue to be bogged down there, totally occupied with what’s going on.

So, the idea this is — I think that history is going to record this was the logical, rational, and right decision to make.”

Here’s the ambassador’s full interview.