The ANA had 20 years to figure out how to operate as a cohesive force. If they fall apart the minute we no longer run support for them, what was the point of them? That just reinforces my point - in 20 years Afghanistan was no closer to being a stable democracy without our constant intervention than it was when we started.

I’m not saying that Afghans don’t matter, but that we can’t be responsible for every oppressed group everywhere in the world, and that military action isn’t the best path towards addressing human rights issues.

We can look towards sanctions, diplomacy, and soft power to try to help Afghanistan build itself into a more modern nation without having to keep thousands of troops on the ground.

Plus, we have bigger fish to fry with increasing threats from China and Russia, we don’t need to be wasting military resources out in the middle of the desert.