{UAH} 20 years of war, up in smoke

The images coming out of Afghanistan Sunday threw into stark relief nearly two decades of U.S. foreign policy, exposing the lies and wishful thinking that have propelled America's military campaign in the region for so long. Chaos engulfed the capital of Kabul as the Afghan government officially fell and President Ashraf Ghani joined thousands of his fellow citizens in fleeing the country, leaving a panicked mob of thousands more at the Kabul International Airport — all seeking their own ticket out. A Taliban spokesperson did tell the BBC it expected a "peaceful transfer of power," though it was unclear what that might mean in practice. "We assure the people in Afghanistan, particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe. There will be no revenge on anyone," the spokesperson said. Back home, a number of vocal anti-war voices who have opposed the conflict since its inception in 2001 began a round of bittersweet "I-told-you-sos," pointing out that this weekend's events were, in their minds at least, clearly inevitable. Over the last 20 years, trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives were lost on an intractable war with nebulous goals that America was unlikely to ever achieve — a fact that The Washington Post revealed in 2019 was widely known in the halls of power, both military and civilian. What lessons did we as a country learn from this experience? And who will be held accountable for the failures of at least four subsequent presidential administrations?

--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Ugandans at Heart (UAH) Community" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ugandans-at-heart/CABfZXG0p7ew6fQAAu%3DWnygeFThAApbm5ptoHBp7G0FAZnfXfSg%40mail.gmail.com.