America’s image went down in flames due to President Joe Biden’s actions to abandon Afghanistan, according to the ambassador of the former Afghan regime.
Adela Raz, who is still in Washington as a representative of a government that no longer exists, spoke with Axios in an interview that was released Sunday.
She said that the hope in Afghanistan was that Biden would impose stronger conditions on the Taliban to protect women.
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“It was very well accepted to me and to a lot of others that the U.S. troops will withdraw,” she said.
“But, there had to be conditions on Taliban that they commit to the achievements that the Afghan society has made,” she continued.
“Did you get the sense that President Biden cared about the fate of Afghan women?'” she was asked.
“I don’t think so,” she replied. “He said the U.S. could not be the police of the world to protect women in any other country.”
She said that although many Afghans expected great things from Biden, she was less enthused.
“I said, ‘we should not buy into this la-la land,’” she noted.
During her interview, she was asked whether she trusts the United States.
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“No,” she replied. “Sorry. I trust and believe the people. I mean I’ve lost trust in the U.S. policies, and I think probably government policies, including my own leadership.”
Asked if Afghans will ever trust a U.S. president, she indicated that Biden inflicted lasting damage.
“Not soon probably. I’m sorry to say that.”
Asked whether she still considered the U.S. to be the leader of the free world, she indicated there had been a fall from grace.
“If you talk about democracy — I probably will question it and laugh at it,” she said. “You were engaged in building one in Afghanistan, and the people believed in it. They fought for it.”
In further comments to Axios, she said she feels guilty that she led other women to embrace the future as leaders.
“One of them was a young woman that was assassinated. She was a human rights advocate,” Raz said.
She noted that she is now in diplomatic limbo because the Biden administration will not meet with her.
“By meeting me formally, probably they will legitimize the position, and that probably will upset the Taliban,” she said.
She said although the Taliban has reached out to her, she will not represent them or communicate with them.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
