A major legacy of the Afghanistan war will be the “explosive remnants of war”- the landmines and unexploded bombs that have been left behind in the earth.
If Donald Trump's goal is to stop the Taliban from killing Americans, abandoning Taliban peace talks is a strange way to pursue it.
However we might define Washington’s evolving purposes in its Afghanistan War, the likelihood of mission accomplishment is nil.
President Donald Trump on Saturday abruptly and publicly shut down talks with the Taliban aimed at resolving the 18-year long Afghanistan War.
It is astonishing how little attention the 18-year American engagement in Afghanistan seems to attract in the country’s consciousness and conversation.
Holbrooke’s youthful idealism evolved into realism, if not cynicism, as he acquiesced to the ironic reality of post-Vietnam national security politics in Washington.
After the U.S. was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, the United States ignored the Powell doctrine -- and the costs are evident all around us.
But even if prayers for lasting peace are never to be answered, we can keep seeking that long-sought end to conflict, can’t we?