As the crisis unfolds in Afghanistan amidst the Talibani takeover of the country, social media websites are replete with wild memes mocking the United States President Joe Biden for presiding over what has turned out to be a disastrously ill-conceived strategy to draw down the American forces from the country.
The scenes of chaos and anarchy from Afghanistan have triggered a meme fest on the internet, bringing under scrutiny the US President’s role in ordering a catastrophic pullout without accounting for its potential ramifications. Netizens on social media websites mocked the US President and sardonically likened him to Chinese strategist Sun Tzu to rub it in the strategic blunders committed by him.
In the memes that are doing the rounds on the internet, Biden is billed as Sun Tzu’s American version, Joe Tzu, and the face of the Chinese strategist is replaced with that of the US president’s. One of the popular memes deriding Joe Biden read: “When retreating always give your weapons to your enemies along with a list of everyone who helped you.”
Stated by Joe Tzu, brother of Sun Tzu pic.twitter.com/lxIMBzA0LA
— LAL — Libertarian Clothes & Memes (@LibertadoresAL) August 30, 2021
The meme was in reference to reports that said the Taliban have seized control of US weapons and strategic military assets, including considerable air power. The US had also reportedly left behind names and biometric details of the Afghans who had helped them over the years against the Taliban.
Another meme ridiculing Biden’s Afghanistan’s drawdown strategy said: “Always abandon your most strategic airbase, just before an evacuation.” This was in reference to the overnight abandonment of the Bagram airbase by the US troops, without even informing the Afghan partners.
Brutal!!!
— Chaitanya 🇮🇳 (@filmy_foodie) August 31, 2021
These #JoeTzu memes are absolutely brutal… 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭 pic.twitter.com/wWRgr1vPbo
Yet another meme lampooning the US President read: “Take your time conducting a withdrawal so your enemy has ample opportunity to attack.”
– joe Tzu pic.twitter.com/NYEA9jl3um
— AMERICAN BADASS 🇺🇲 (@SWFLPatriot) August 27, 2021
Taking a dig at the American strategy of leaving behind arms and ammunition for the Taliban fighters, one meme read: “Always leave behind as many weapons as you can. Arm your enemy well.”
#military strategy according to #JoeTzu #Afghanistan #BidenIsALaughingstock #KabulAttack pic.twitter.com/3ij2p76G1Q
— Superforecaster, but the worst one (@pdicaprioFP911) August 30, 2021
“Put your enemy in charge of your enemy,” read another popular meme with the portrait of Sun Tzu but the face of Joe Biden.
The art of war #JoeTzu #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/QSszzL8cxI
— Hieronymus Bosch (@ByewBob) August 26, 2021
Who was Sun Tzu?
As netizens share memes mocking Joe Biden as ‘Joe Tzu’ and pour scorn over his catastrophic military strategy to hastily abandon Afghanistan, it is worth noting who the revered Chinese strategist Sun Tzu was. A legendary military strategist, writer, and philosopher, Sun Tzu lived in the Eastern Zhou period of ancient China and is credited as the author of The Art of War, an influential work of military strategy that has influenced both Western and East Asian philosophy and military thinking.
Sun Tzu is considered by many as the father of “agile warfare” and a master of “soft power”. In his book “The Art of War”, Tzu has prescribed many strategies, including psychological warfare, to subjugate the enemy and win the war without fighting the battle or winning them by drawing minimum blood.
“In war, the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won,” he wrote. Similarly, he suggested his troops take the enemy by surprise by making their way through unexpected routes and unguarded spots. Sharing his wisdom about fighting a war, Sun Tzu wrote, “Military tactics are like water. For water, in its natural course, runs away from high places and hastens downwards. So, in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and strike at what is weak.”
America’s two decade long war in Afghanistan ends with a hasty withdrawal and utter humiliation
Ever since the Taliban walked into Kabul, effectively facing no resistance on their way to the capital and formally seizing control of Afghanistan, critics around the world have blamed US President Joe Biden for moving forward with a half-baked strategy to pull out from the country.
After Biden announced that the United States will complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, the Taliban escalated its offensive, swallowing district after district in a swift and ruthless onslaught. Within weeks, it brought under control a sizeable number of districts. Then on August 15, it entered Kabul and declared its rule in Afghanistan.
Panic and fear had swept across the country after the fall of Kabul on August 15, following which a multitude of city residents flocked to the airport, in a desperate attempt to fly out of the country. Chaotic scenes had emerged from Kabul airport as wary Afghans scrambled to get a flight out of the country, with some of them clinging to the fuselage of planes, from which they fell to their tragic deaths.
Images have also appeared on the internet in which the Taliban could be seen riding American Humvees and using advanced weapons left behind by the Americans. A video from Afghanistan also showed Taliban terrorists trying to fly an American helicopter. It was also reported that the Taliban terrorists also got hold of names, biometric details of Afghan citizens who had helped the United States in their mission in Afghanistan.
