The Afghan war launched by the US as a prelude to "anti-terrorism war" in 2001, the first war in the 21st century, has ended with the US troops scurrying home in disarray after 20 years.

The US committed a total of over 800 000 troops to and spent more than US$2 trillion on the war, and sustained the loss of some 2 600 troops while over 20 000 others were wounded.

The "longest war in American history" spawned increasing acts of terrorism, escalating religious conflicts, widespread refugee crisis, regional instability and other horrendous disasters, far from helping it achieve its goal of "eradication of terrorism" and "establishment of democracy" in Afghanistan.

The number of local terrorist groups, which was single digit early in the war, has now risen to over 20, and more than 100 000 innocent civilians lost their lives and over 10 million people were displaced by reckless military operations.

The catastrophic situation in Afghanistan plunged the US into the abyss of the endless war, leaving it with no other choice but to dare an "emergency exit" to stop the excessive consumption of its resources and the "bleeding" of its economy.

The US troops' shameful act of fleeing Afghanistan with no heed to its much-touted rhetoric of "spread of liberal democracy" and the responsibility for the "restoration of a ruined country" was a self-confession of its failed policy on Afghanistan.

This has brought to light the status quo of the "only superpower" that is now on the decline with no qualifications for international policing.

Notably, Taliban the US forces said they had "annihilated" just two months after the start of the war has emerged as a more powerful force after 20 years to seize power and pressurize the US troop withdrawal, a meaningful sign signifying the US defeat and the collapse of its predominant position.

The Afghan incident has shattered the illusions about the US and crumbled the alliance based on master-servant relationship between the US and capitalist countries.

The US selfish and perfidious acts of unhesitatingly deserting the Kabul regime that it had looked after for decades and of withdrawing without any agreement with NATO allies with whom it had engaged in the "bloody war" have amplified the mistrust in and frustration of its allies and satellite nations at the US security commitment.

These countries have realized that their "most important ally" is not so strong and cooperative as they have thought and expected and are now racking their brains to draw up again their own strategies for security and existence.

The EU now discusses the issue of creating about 5 000-strong rapid response force, claiming that the situation in Afghan must be a turning point in boosting Europe's strategic independence and that it has to possess capabilities to defend its interests.

Major Western media now churn out comments that "the Western liberal order has been defeated”, “the US downfall has reached a zenith”, “the US is withdrawing in actuality though it says it has returned” and “the Atlantic alliance will grow weaker in the future".

It is the mentality of the US’ allies and partners to form an independent pole rather than following the waning US.

The collective security system touted by the US is nothing but a tool for meeting its own interests and the blind following of the US will only bring disgrace and destruction. This is a lesson drawn from the Afghan crisis.

After all, this crisis has become a critical occasion for speeding up the self-destruction of the unipolar domination structure and the old international order created by the US after the Second World War.

No country and nation in the world want to live under others' pressure and domination and it is the independent right and common aspiration of all countries and nations to build up their own strength and develop their own way.

The US domination system restricting independent development of other countries and nations and enforcing the Yankee-style values and orders on them has further been endangered by the struggle of the peoples of different countries to champion their cultures, traditions and development modes and the advance of newly emerging powers.

Imperialism whose attributes are aggression, interference, avarice and plunder is doomed as the refuse of history.

It is the law governing historical development that imperialism wanes and humankind heads towards socialism, and history advances by the struggle of the people standing for independence and justice in the 21st century, as it did in the 20th century.

The collapse of the imperialist domination system is the inevitability of history.