Why ISIS Was Defeated In Syria, But In Afghanistan The Taliban Still Thrives

As the U.S. declares “ISIS is defeated,” or at least on the brink of collapse, the same cannot be said for the Taliban in Afghanistan. In fact, after 18 years of war the Taliban has the upper hand in peace talks. They moreover control large regions of Afghanistan, including important urban and rural centers. But why? Why was ISIS defeated in Syria, but in Afghanistan the Taliban thrives? And what can the U.S. learn?

Sealing A Common Goal
One reason that ISIS was defeated is that the borders around where ISIS was fighting were sealed. Unlike Afghanistan, Turkey, Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan, Iran, Israel, Jordan, and even Syria, were all in agreement to stop ISIS fighters from flowing in. This included preventing them from escaping to start ISIS cells elsewhere. In Afghanistan, borders with Pakistan’s and Iran remained porous, allowing arms and fighters to reach the Taliban.

Despite their differences and near-conflicts, the nations-including the U.S.-fighting ISIS shared a common goal. It was to defeat ISIS. This wasn’t true for Afghanistan. Along with allowing Taliban fighters to cross the border, where other Taliban tribes lived, Pakistan played the Taliban against the U.S. Neither could America unite factions. They instead alienated them, forcing them to support the Taliban and other hard-lined factions.

Russia, Iran, And Historical Alliances
Both Russia and Iran were key players in defeating ISIS. This, since they play such powerful roles in the region. So much so that Russia and the Taliban, along with many Afghan officials, generals, politicians, and tribal leaders, are working on a strategy to secure a lasting peace. The same goes for Iran-and nearby China. Without support from these countries, America’s war in Afghanistan was already doomed at the very beginning.

History and political arrangements were also important. The Taliban go back centuries and have forged many alliances. ISIS is a new comer. Its allies and base of support weren’t that well established. Where the Taliban is made up of hundreds of tribal groups and subgroups-including many leaders, ISIS had a core. It had a caliphate too. Cutting off the caliphate helped end ISIS. Cutting off a few Taliban leaders made little difference.

Religion And Terrain
The U.S. assumed it would mobilize sufficient troops and sustain a long-term occupation in a predominantly Islamic nation-Afghanistan. The official response was indeed all-out war. The war was a war against other Muslim countries, which sent fighters. Western armies battling Muslims in Islamic lands will always be an abomination. Muslim nations were battling ISIS and its Islamic caliphate in Syria. Something that’s acceptable in Islam.

If terrain determines the battle, it can also decide wars. Since Syria sits on a large plateau, it was easy to detect and eliminate ISIS fighters. To Syria’s east lies a coastal plain and Mediterranean Sea-hard border. Both hampered ISIS while favoring those at war with ISIS and its caliphate. Afghanistan was the opposite. Its covered with rugged mountain ranges filled with caves and mazes. Deep river valleys are nearly impenetrable.

The Trust Factor And Surges
Syria’s president was correct to say the U.S. wouldn’t protect those depending on it. It was in reference to Kurdish fighters who control the north. They were abandoned after Desert Storm in 1991, as were the Shiites. After financing its destruction in the 1980’s, the same occurred in Afghanistan. Nor did the U.S. help it’s Afghan allies rebuild. Any agreement in Afghanistan will me met by doubt. It will never be secure, easily broken.

After invading and destabilizing Afghanistan, U.S. strategy was to promote “surges” to defeat growing insurgences. The insurgences themselves were in truth the direct result of U.S. actions-something the U.S. didn’t want to admit to or can‘t understand. It’s clear that the surges were unsuccessful. It’s even more clear that despite elections, the situation in Afghanistan, where the official political process is still paralyzed, isn’t going to work.

Military Bases And Just Wars
Another important factor consists of military infrastructures. To be sure, the U.S. has dozens of military bases surrounding ISIS in Turkey and Iraq. This includes airfields and naval bases Along with joint exercises in Israel and Jordan, nearby is Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Africa is home to U.S. AFRICOM. Hardly any of this existed when the U.S. preemptively invaded Afghanistan. Logistics became a nightmare-and a costly one at that.

A final reason ISIS was defeated in Syria, but the Taliban still thrives in Afghanistan, is the actual causes and purposes for declaring war. The parameters for a just war against ISIS was clearly defined-some say needed. The purpose for going to war in Afghanistan was murky-and still is. This, since the U.S. had already fought a secretive and destructive war there, and because the Afghan government had agreed to arrest Osama bin Laden.

A Center Of Trade And Time
Unlike ISIS, Afghanistan was once an empire. It doesn’t take any prisoners. This includes America. It’s also a main land route between Iran, Central Asia, and India. There are just too many surrounding powers that still want to dominate Afghanistan, or at least influence the region. This makes alliances nearly impossible. It even makes them filled with many risks and unintended consequences, some of which turn deadly.

There’s never been a one-size-fits all answer in conquering Afghanistan. Now that it’s a foundation as a base for Islam, one that entails jihad so as to liberate Muslim lands, makes matters worse. Time is, and always was, on the side of Afghanistan-including the Taliban. They’re simply abiding their time until another Western, secularized empire leaves. In this case, it’s the U.S.

No wonder it has been referred to as the “Graveyard of Empires.”

Dallas Darling is the author of Politics 501: An A-Z Reading on Conscientious Political Thought and Action, Some Nations Above God: 52 Weekly Reflections On Modern-Day Imperialism, Militarism, And Consumerism in the Context of John’s Apocalyptic Vision, and The Other Side Of Christianity: Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality, History, and Peace. He is a correspondent for www.WN.com. You can read more of Dallas’ writings at www.beverlydarling.com and www.WN.com/dallasdarling.