Nobody Could Have Foreseen

“In retrospect, the United States and its allies got it really wrong from the very beginning. The bar was set based on our democratic ideals, not on what was sustainable or workable in an Afghan context.”
-Michele Flournoy https://t.co/bGSvDSlUkQ

— David Lapan (@DaveLapanDC) August 14, 2021

As I said: Vietnam redux.

Right down to the personal and economic costs:

The repeated deployments contributed to disability rates in those veterans that are more than double that of Vietnam veterans...

the U.S. will spend more than $2 trillion just caring for and supporting Afghanistan and Iraq veterans as they agehttps://t.co/q2Jb2iOfZx

— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) August 14, 2021

As well as just the “Vietnam costs,” the further erosion of trust in government:

but general miller could do a muscle up. general mcchrystal woke early to run. general mattis read books. general petraeus could do pushups and talk about tribes. and all the other bullshit you’ve been fed for years that distracted you from the shitshow fantasies on the ground.

— C.J. Chivers (@cjchivers) August 14, 2021

In the end, the question is:

The real story out of Afghanistan is that the Pentagon and every US commander since 2012 has LIED to the American people about the capability of Afghan Forces. The Afghan's stark corruption and collapse within a month is all we got for $2 trillion & thousands of American lives

— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) August 14, 2021

How much did we lie to ourselves? By “we” I mean the Pentagon, the Congress, Presidents, individuals, all of us. 

When will we ever learn?