Chinese Dissident Wang Dan: Following The Afghanistan Crisis, If The CCP Attacks Taiwan And The U.S. Doesn't Come To The Rescue, The U.S.'s International Standing 'Will Take A Further Blow'

In an article published August 21, 2021, renowned Chinese dissident Wang Dan, one of the student leaders of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, argued that following the political blow it suffered for the mishandled Afghanistan withdrawal, the Biden administration "cannot bear" the political price of losing Taiwan

The article, titled "The Afghan crisis may make Taiwan safer," stated that the Biden administration cannot afford to be thought incapable of protecting its allies or accused of ultimately abandoning them, because this may have a serious impact on the U.S. 2022 midterm elections and even the 2024 presidential election. "At such a critical moment, if the Chinese Communist Party attempts to attack Taiwan and the U.S. still fails to come to the rescue, the standing of the U.S. in the international community will take a further blow. Americans' sense of honor will quickly turn the isolationist trend of thought into patriotism and nationalism, and the clamor for a more aggressive approach to Taiwan's rescue will intensify," Wang wrote. He went on to emphasize that the "Afghan crisis means good things for Taiwan."

Below is Wang Dan's article:[1]

Wang Dan (Source: YouTube)

'The Afghan Crisis Has Had A Great Impact On The Political Parties And Public Opinion In The U.S.'

"The Taliban, a militant group in Afghanistan, captured the world's attention on August 15 when it stormed the country's capital, Kabul. 'I think bad things are going to happen with respect to Taiwan,' former U.S. President Donald Trump said in an August 17 interview. Naturally, those words reverberated in Taiwan, and must have made some people worry about the island's future. But it seems to me that the opposite may be true, and that the outbreak of the Afghan crisis could lead to stronger support from the U.S. and thus greater security for Taiwan.

"Why do I say that? We can see that the Afghan crisis has had a great impact on the political parties and public opinion in the U.S. As the chaotic situation of the withdrawal from Afghanistan continued to be aired on the American media, the reaction of both the ruling and opposition parties was very strong. Biden's blame-shifting remarks prompted the Washington Post, a leading Democratic newspaper, to run an editorial overnight calling the speech 'one of the most shameless presidential speeches' in the U.S. history. The harshness of the language reflects the strong dissatisfaction of the mainstream U.S. media, which had strongly supported Biden, with the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops.

"Naturally, Republicans and Trump have been seizing the opportunity to launch blistering attacks on Biden, and there have been rumblings of discontent even within the Democratic Party. 'The events of recent days have been the culmination of a series of mistakes made by Republican and Democratic administrations over the past 20 years,' said Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he hopes to work with the other committees of jurisdiction to ask 'tough but necessary questions' about why the U.S. wasn't better prepared for a worst-case scenario involving such a swift and total collapse of the Afghan government and security forces.

President Biden Said 'America Is Back' – But Now We All See That The 'Taliban Is Back'

"From public opinion to the reactions of political parties, we can see that the American society has been shocked by the disorderly and humiliating manner of the withdrawal. Indeed, in recent years, there has been a wave of isolationism in American society, and the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan is the result of this popular sentiment. But at the same time, we should not forget that the U.S. is also a country that attaches great importance to its face.

"In particular, when Joe Biden came to power, he said 'America is back,' but now we all see the 'Taliban is back,' which makes many Americans feel very frustrated, sad, and have the feeling of being humiliated. Public opinion is as fickle as running water. At a time when both parties and the public are galvanized by the Afghan crisis, the U.S. government must rethink its established strategy toward Taiwan, or at least be more cautious in continuing the existing policy. It could even reverse course on Taiwan policy to offset the political impact of the crisis in Afghanistan on President Joe Biden and the Democratic administration. The Taiwan issue is likely to be used by the U.S. government as a pawn to win back a game and save face for itself.

"There is evidence for this. When the Afghan crisis had just raised concerns about Taiwan's situation, Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to President Biden, made a statement at the first time, saying that the U.S. commitment to Taiwan 'remains as strong as it's ever been.' Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice published an article in the Washington Post on August 17, saying that the images of Afghans hanging from American transport planes at the Kabul airport are heartbreaking and harrowing, and that this has damaged the credibility of the U.S. So she suggested that the U.S. should reinforce its commitment to its allies and particularly Taiwan. Rice's suggestion is obviously not just her own voice. On August 19, U.S. Congressman Lance Gooden, a Republican from Texas, called on Twitter for the U.S. to formalize ties with Taiwan. 'We must reaffirm our commitment to the island, and we do not need permission from the communists in China to do so,' Gooden said.

'The Afghan Crisis Means Good Things For Taiwan'

"Judging from these remarks and the current atmosphere of U.S. society, the Biden administration will continue to be accused of being incapable of protecting and ultimately abandoning its allies, which will have a serious impact on the 2022 midterm elections and even the 2024 presidential election. At such a critical moment, if the Chinese Communist Party attempts to attack Taiwan and the U.S. still fails to come to the rescue, the standing of the U.S. in the international community will take a further blow. Americans' sense of honor will quickly turn the isolationist trend of thought into patriotism and nationalism, and the clamor for a more aggressive approach to Taiwan's rescue will intensify. The Democratic administration, which has been ambivalent about coming to Taiwan's rescue, may have to do the opposite to consolidate its power. From this point of view, the U.S.'s security commitment to Taiwan will not be abandoned, but may be further strengthened.

"The Biden administration has suffered a political blow for humiliating the American people with its mishandled withdrawal from Afghanistan. Having learned this lesson, no matter which party comes to power in the future in the U.S., it can neither dare to nor bear the political price of losing Taiwan. So, the Afghan crisis means good things for Taiwan, not 'bad things' as Trump said."