Biden retreat from Afghanistan poorly planned

 Jazz Shaw:

Last week we looked at yet another failure to plan ahead in terms of America’s exit from the war in Afghanistan. Our military is in search of a place close to that country where we could set up a long-term base of operations to keep an eye on things and potentially send forces back into Afghanistan if the situation requires it. The two leading candidates have been Uzbekistan or Tajikistan, but immediate concerns were raised over the possibility of Vladimir Putin vetoing the idea, given Russia’s heavy influence over those nations and the deteriorating state of relations between Moscow and Washington. In barely a week, it appears that the veto pen has been deployed. Despite American diplomats going on a “charm offensive” in the region, we’re getting the cold shoulder, and Putin has gone public with his rejection of the idea. (Associated Press)
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When asked about the prospect of an American base in either Uzbekistan or Tajikistan during a press conference this week, the Russian president simply said that such a proposal would be “unacceptable.” That was apparently all that the governments of those central Asian countries needed to hear. At this point, there are reportedly no offers on the table, despite the Biden administration dangling offers of foreign aid.
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We know Biden was never very smart, but he appears to have few smart people around that he will listen to.  This is something that you should get an agreement to before announcing a pull-out.  It probably did not help that Biden started his administration by insulting the Russian leader.  It reminds me of the story about a guy having marital difficulty being told he needed to be more complimentary with his wife who then tells her, "You don't sweat much for a fat person."