Afghanistan Meant Nothing

A Veteran Reflects on 20 Wasted Years

Afghanistan. Photo by Laura Jedeed / CC BY

By the time you read this, the Taliban may already be in Kabul. If not now, then soon.

Nixon wanted — and got — his decent interval between the United States pullout of Vietnam and the inevitable North Vietnamese takeover. Afghanistan’s interval was never going to be decent, but I confess I expected an interval. We’re scrambling to leave in time, we’re…