There is no way of safeguarding respect in a defeat unless the victor is gracious and shows humility. That will determine the future course of events in Afghanistan. After the Taliban took over the surrounding provinces in 11 days, they encircled Kabul. On August 15, 2021, they overran Kabul without any resistance. Predictions by pundits of hand-to-hand combat in the streets of Kabul never materialised. A debacle of humungous proportions turned all strategies and plans upside down. As a student of politics and history, I find significant events having an analogy in the past. The crumbling of the Ghani regime reminds me of “Trojan Horse” in the takeover of Troy by Greeks. An event captured by historians, most prominent being Homer’s “Odyssey.” Nearly 10 years of the Greek siege of Troy had failed to yield results. At the behest of strategist Odysseus, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse outside city walls. The Trojans thought it was a peace offering to their gods. It was carved inside to conceal elite warriors. After completing the horse, Greeks pretended they were giving up and sailed away in their ships. Relieved and jubilant, the citizens of Troy pulled the horse into their securely protected bastion as a trophy. As they slept after celebrations, in a drunken stupor, the hidden Greek warriors snuck out and opened the city’s gates. The Greek forces had returned under the cover of darkness. Effortlessly, they took over Troy; ending a 10-year war. Similarities can be found in the takeover by the Taliban of Kabul. Who were the “Trojan Horses” on the 15th day of August? They were the common Afghans who were fed up with foreign occupations and corruption spanning 40 years. Afghan defeat is a hot potato. Its blame is being passed around with everyone pointing fingers. We need to view the recent events from the proper perspective. During two decades of foreign occupation by the Western forces led by the US, they did everything in their power to subdue the Taliban and introduce Western democracy. They spent over a trillion dollars to transform Afghan society. It included billions spent to train and equip the 300,000-strong Afghan army with the latest weapons and an air force. They were meant to confront the pickup truck driving 75,000 Taliban wielding handguns and shoulder-fired rockets. On paper, it was very doable for strategists in the Pentagon and intelligence agencies of NATO countries. However, it turned out to be the gravest miscalculation of this century. It reminds me of a quote made famous by US President John F Kennedy after the debacle of Bay of Pigs, “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.” Afghan defeat is a hot potato. Its blame is being passed around with everyone pointing fingers. The main brunt is being faced by President Biden. He is the Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful army. It is a huge embarrassment. You can make out from his speeches that he is bitter and angry. One understands his frustration as he has been handed a disaster-in-the-making under three US Presidents. The entire edifice of this war was constructed on lies and false assumptions. By ending an unwinnable war, Biden did the right thing. Only a few world leaders openly called the conflict futile. Prime Minister Imran Khan is one of them. President Biden sounded like him when he stated “Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires.” I have elaborated on this in my previous articles. The past will be dissected minutely. However, policymakers must take a deep dive to sensibly assess the new emerging realities. Present takeover by Taliban within weeks is not just based on their military prowess. It represents the popular will of Afghans, who are desperate to be rid of foreign occupation and the corrupt and fallacious democracy. This thinking gained acceptance amongst the Afghan Army and power centres around the country facilitating Taliban victory with such speed. Afghan soldiers are not cowards, they were pragmatic. Another very important aspect that policymakers need to understand is that the Taliban in 2021 are not the same as in the nineties. Then, they were fresh out of madrassahs with little worldly exposure, zealous to a fault with a blinkered worldview. Two decades of resistance against the combined firepower of the Western military has been a sobering experience that has matured them immensely. No one can doubt their will. What they need to demonstrate is the willingness to accept the realpolitik of the region, gain acceptance and have a contemporary world view. Thus far, the Taliban have shown restraint. Western media is awash with happenings at the Kabul airport. A person falling off a plane is truly tragic. It is not because they were escaping being butchered or hounded. The mad rush is out of fear of possible future retribution. It is important that does not happen. Taliban should follow in the footsteps of our Beloved Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) after his victory in Makkah. The need of the hour is to give their citizens a sense of ease and comfort, assuring them that their sacrifices to achieve freedom will not go in vain. Afghanistan needs to emerge from the ashes to rebuild as a self-respecting nation. They need to unite for a prosperous future in partnership with powers in the region that wish them well. They need to work on being recognised. Author’s Note: I want to thank my readers and friends for their encouragement. It is an elixir that pushes me to research deeper, analyse and express better. Please keep your comments and suggestions coming. The writer is the director of CERF, a non-profit, charitable organisation in Canada