Advertisement
War in Afghanistan
CommentUnited States
S. George Marano
S. George Marano

Opinion | As China rises, can the US arrest its own destruction?

  • Don’t expect America to come back stronger after its Afghanistan debacle, like it did post Vietnam
  • The difference between 1975 and now is that neoliberalism has hollowed out the US, undermined its government, and deepened inequality and social tensions

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
65
Illustration: Craig Stephens
S. George Marano
The end of the US war in Afghanistan has invoked memories of its defeat in Vietnam, with the optics eerily similar. While the United States in 1975 was still the emergent power, much has changed since then, and mostly for the worst.
Advertisement
Playing a primary role in the US decline has been the 50-odd years of neoliberalism. This economic system of free-market capitalism has, over time, corrupted the political, military and social aspects that made the US a superpower.
The desperate scenes of Afghan locals at Kabul airport mirrored memories of Washington’s Vietnam disaster. The Vietnam war was America’s most embarrassing defeat with a huge toll in lives, prestige and cost.

In the face of such a loss, the US went on to become the sole superpower. Post Afghanistan, however, America’s prospects seem reversed, with the rise of China and domestic problems the two main factors.

Between 1975 and today, the most visible difference is the decline in US manufacturing, a generator of middle-class wealth. Over that period, the US’ share of the global economy has fallen from 28 per cent to 15.9 per cent (with forecasts of 14.76 per cent by 2026), while the debt-to-GDP ratio rose from 32 per cent to 125 per cent.

14:01

20 years in Afghanistan: a timeline of America’s 'forever war'

20 years in Afghanistan: a timeline of America’s 'forever war'

The feedback loop of war, debt and now outsourcing have taken their toll on the US economy. An example of the latter is the Pentagon paying between a third and a half of the US$14 trillion spent on the Afghan war to private military contractors.

Advertisement