Joe Biden responds to criticism for Afghanistan 1:16
(CNN) -
When US President Joe Biden finally broke his silence on the chaos unfolding in Afghanistan, European allies who had high hopes for a reboot in the transatlantic alliance were dismayed.
His disappointment was not by the content of Biden's speech, but by the "America First" optics of the leader of the free world, washing his hands of a global problem.
The unilateral decision to withdraw appeared to somewhat contradict Biden's assertion upon entering the White House that "America has come back."
A crisis like the one unfolding in Afghanistan has, for some, underscored the sad reality that without the United States, Europe's immediate ability to control its own destiny is limited.
From London to Paris, from Brussels to Berlin, the sudden fall of Kabul shed light on Europe's limited diplomatic clout, military capabilities, and political stability.
Where are the Afghan refugees going now?
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Diplomats and officials from Europe, concerned
Diplomats and officials from across the continent have privately expressed regret that this is where we are: If the United States says it's over, it's over.
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We know from comments made by UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace that he thought the pullout was a mistake and signaled victory for the Taliban.
UK government officials told CNN they had tried to encourage the Trump and Biden administrations to slow down the withdrawal, but failed to convince them.
Wallace said in a recent Sky News interview that when America "made that decision, the way we were all set up that meant we had to go."
What Biden said about the chaos in Kabul 0:49
Several European officials and diplomats told CNN of their shock at Biden's claim that the only US interest in Afghanistan was to neutralize the terrorists who attacked the United States in 2001 and prevent further attacks on US soil.
They now fear the humanitarian and political consequences of mass migration from a militant-led country that has historically harbored terrorists and is connected to continental Europe by land.
Europe, more exposed to the situation in Afghanistan
Without the power of the United States to control the situation, Europe is undoubtedly more exposed.
As one EU official put it: "When the United States changed course on Syria, it caused a crisis in Europe, not the United States."
When former President Barack Obama reversed his decision to attack Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, following reports that he was gassing his own citizens, it had a knock-on effect that is still felt today.
American diplomats sent a warning cable about a possible catastrophe in Afghanistan last month
Not only did millions of Syrians flock to Europe for refuge, but the vacuum left by the United States left room for terrorist groups to build bases from which they could launch and inspire attacks around the world.
Geography and history suggest that once the United States is gone and the Taliban take full control of Afghanistan, ordinary citizens who are not evacuated fear persecution will do their best to flee the country to a safer location.
That means Europe could soon see large volumes of migration of people seeking refuge.
In turn, this presents Europe, especially the EU, with a number of problems that it might have a hard time handling.
A situation reminiscent of Syria
If the numbers of people fleeing Afghanistan are anything like those who came from war-torn Syria in 2015, the EU basically has two options: pay the region's neighbors to hold the refugees, or agree a quota agreement in the bloc of 27 countries.
Mutilated children and death, the legacy of the war in Syria 4:25
Politically, the EU is not in a good place to reach an agreement of this kind, so it leans towards the former.
However, Brussels tried this in 2015 when it gave money to the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop the flow of migrants to the bloc.
"They have learned all the wrong lessons from 2015, where closing a deal with Turkey backfired dramatically when President Erdogan decided it was politically expedient to use these people as weapons, letting them go to Greece," says Zoe Gardner, Council policy advisor Welfare of Immigrants.
The fact that Erdogan could turn refugees into weapons was, Gardner says, a symptom that populist politicians treat people fleeing war zones as dangerous and something to fear.
"It means that people are intrinsically suspicious of them, so the starting point is that people have negative feelings towards them. That often means they are treated badly and it causes governments to take harsher lines to keep them out. It does. which sadly means that those who are determined to come are vulnerable to smugglers and human traffickers, "he says.
Taliban crush opposition across Afghanistan as airport chaos builds
A difficult outlook for the most vulnerable
Tineke Strik, a member of the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee, is pessimistic about the bloc's political will to reach an agreement.
In turn, that likely means even worse conditions for these already vulnerable people.
"In many member states there is anti-refugee sentiment, whether in the government or in the opposition. This not only makes political opponents pit against each other, but also nations that see political capital in taking a tougher stance. In border countries, this could mean fences and tear gas targeting people fleeing the most dire conditions, "he says.
EU officials are well aware of the myriad risks posed by this anti-immigrant sentiment.
Anti-migrant rhetoric
Following the migration crisis of 2015, far-right eurosceptic groups made important political breakthroughs through anti-migrant and anti-EU rhetoric.
Some of these politicians were so successful that they changed the terrain of the political center.
In France, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, the main political parties now use the language of the far right to protect their base.
Sharia law and its strict application in Afghanistan 2:16
Help the populist cause that historically both legal and illegal routes to Europe have been exploited by people seeking to carry out attacks in continental Europe.
Although obviously these people represent a very small minority.
The combination of security concerns, anti-migrant sentiment, anti-EU rhetoric and member states wanting to appear tough makes life extremely difficult for Brussels, which sees itself as one of the world's leading advocates of rights. humans, freedom and democracy.
An EU Commission official explained to CNN that he wanted to continue funding humanitarian projects in Afghanistan that support human rights, women's rights and the defense of democracy.
But that it would be difficult to sell to member states now that the United States has bailed out and the Taliban are in charge.
If member states are suddenly asked to take in thousands of Afghan citizens, they may be even less understanding.
Beyond the EU, the crisis has revealed how much Europeans depended on the power of American security through NATO.
Crude testimony of former combatant in Afghanistan 1:43
Urgent measures
"My fear is that if the world feels that it can no longer look with the same level of certainty and confidence to the United States or NATO ... we will see emboldened movements of hostile or unfriendly actors at the idea of a more united Europe," he said. Roberta Metsola, a member of the European Parliament committee working on migration and border security, told CNN.
"That means that Europe must realize that the burden of the democratic and security world order falls more on Europe's shoulders. It is a wake-up call that we have postponed too many times," he adds.
Some are already calling for urgent action to be taken to address this problem.
Tom Tugendhat, a British lawmaker who served in Afghanistan, spoke in a moving speech to the UK Parliament of the need to "revitalize our European-NATO partners, to ensure that we are not dependent on a single ally, on the decision of a single leader ... and make sure you keep the line together. "
Europe and a long way to go
For Europe to get to the point Metsola and Tugendhat describe, there is a long way to go.
The UK, which has NATO's second-largest military spending, felt it had no choice but to follow the US to exit.
The EU has long talked about consolidating its military spending, but it is an issue on which member states are so divided that for Brussels to have something like the power to plug the hole the United States left in Afghanistan, it would take decades. .
The fear of this Afghan is that the terrorists help each other 1:45
Biden's decision and lack of repentance have been criticized for many reasons.
But perhaps the least acceptable aspect is that the United States, bluntly, has the luxury of being able to leave in a way that Europe, and other regional neighbors, cannot.
Tugendhat closed his speech on Wednesday by saying: "This is what defeat looks like - when you no longer have the option to help. This doesn't have to be a defeat, but right now, it feels like one."
The free world, without its leader, is in no condition to fix this mess and uphold the values it holds so dear.
And the options of how to help are certainly running out.
Afghanistan Immigrant crisis Europe