Opinion | 3 reasons Afghanistan withdrawal could ruin US influence in Southeast Asia and beyond

Name: China ‘closing in fast’, says US President Joe Biden in first address to Congress
Uploaded: 2021-08-31T01:15:10.000Z
Duration: 3 min 53 s
Description: China ‘closing in fast’, says US President Joe Biden in first address to Congress

Biden’s decision to press ahead with the exit from Afghanistan was meant to free up US resources for full-spectrum competition with China

However, polarised domestic politics, doubts over US commitment and worries about terrorism emanating from Afghanistan could all backfire

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Richard Heydarian

Published: 9:15am, 31 Aug 2021Updated: 10:21am, 31 Aug 2021

“Defeat is one thing; disgrace is another,” Winston Churchill said of the collapse of British forces at the hands of Axis powers in the Siege of Tobruk. As an astute politician, the British prime minister instinctively grasped the psychological impact of unexpected military defeats and, more crucially, the overall centrality of prestige to global power.

Despite his best efforts to preserve the British imperium and an impressive streak of Allied military victories across the Mediterranean throughout World War II, Churchill ultimately failed to turn the tide of history. Within years, his country’s once-mighty empire had to give way to a resurgent Moscow and a self-assured Washington.

Eight decades later, the United States is grappling with a similar dilemma following the collapse of the Afghan government in the face of Taliban forces. While America could still preserve a measure of global primacy for years to come, the Biden administration’s flawed exit from Afghanistan has dissipated US prestige and deepened concerns over its commitment to key allies across the world.

This is especially true in critical regions such as Southeast Asia, where a resurgent China is rapidly gaining influence with its combination of large-scale economic incentives, technological sophistication and growing military prowess.

US President Joe Biden and his team of advisers are aware of the fragility of America’s global position as well as the centrality of Asia to the future of the international order. As Biden warned in his first speech before a joint session of Congress, we are approaching “a great inflection point in history” and the US is “in competition with China … to win the 21st century”.

03:53

China ‘closing in fast’, says US President Joe Biden in first address to Congress

To this end, throughout its first six months, the Biden administration has embarked on a turbocharged diplomatic offensive to rally like-minded powers and win over reluctant allies across the Indo-Pacific.

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