![A woman holds a poster demanding the evacuation of people out of Afghanistan during a demonstration in Berlin, Germany, Aug. 17, 2021 (photo by Markus Schreiber).](https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/l_war-afghanistan-08262021-1.jpg?w=519&h=259&crop=1)
The abrupt collapse of Afghanistan’s NATO-backed government in the wake of the departure of U.S. forces cast a sharp, critical spotlight on U.S. President Joe Biden. But the American president was not the only Western leader who came under enormous political pressure as the scenes of mayhem outside of Kabul’s international airport played out live on television around the world. The fall of Kabul has already riled the waters across Europe, where multiple governments are struggling to defend themselves against waves of criticism. In the Netherlands, currently still governed by a caretaker coalition months after the most recent elections, there […]