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Afghanistan - what were the options?

I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this Afghanistan mess. The images of people clinging to planes and stories about Taliban going "door to door" are horrifying. But can we put politics aside and honestly talk about what was done right/wrong in the past 20 years?

My feeling is that the current result was inevitable, a matter of when not if. So if the US pulled out a year from now, 5 years, 10 years, the result would inevitably be the same. I think us being there from the start was a mistake - we should have gone in, taken out the folks we knew were responsible for attacking us, and gotten out. Staying 20 years probably made the problem worse in the long run.

Yeah, the result is disheartening. To me Biden's biggest blunder here is not with the withdrawal but with not being honest with himself or the rest of the country the reality of the result. He is an idiot for not knowing this would be the result and preparing for this result.
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MarkPaul · 26-30, M
I think he just wants to get out and end the thing regardless of how the chips fall. While I think he could have been more straightforward in his communication, he just may have chosen the best option after all...

1. If he pre-announced things were going to be chaotic with the withdrawal, there would have been an outcry to delay and do what has been done in the past... push out the decision "to some other time."

2. If he started pulling people out en masse in advance, there would have been an outcry about "the refugees are coming, the refugees are coming, OMG... the refugees."

3. If he waited for the perfect execution plan to be put in place, it would have pushed the issue closer to the elections and given the Republican-Insurrectionists ammunition to say he was extending the war.

It's time to end the war. The quick downfall of the Afghan propped-up government and the easy take-over by the Taliban is pretty much proof there is nothing to be gained by staying longer. Knowing when to quit is sometimes the best way to win. Having the fortitude to quit is never easy. In these modern times, we have enough evidence to conclude war is never a solution. It no longer works.
Graylight · 51-55, F
@MarkPaul A thoughtful and incisive take on the situation.
AthrillatheHunt · 51-55, M
@MarkPaul it was gunna be a shit show one way or another guaranteed