- 20 Years of War, One Devastating Collapse – How the U.S. lost Afghanistan despite two decades of effort.
- Echoes of Vietnam and Iraq – The familiar patterns of military hubris and strategic missteps.
- The Global Fallout – How America’s failure in Afghanistan weakened its global standing.
- Lessons Unlearned – Why future U.S. interventions risk repeating the same mistakes.
On Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a solemn pledge at the Pentagon: there would be accountability for the war in Afghanistan. The war, which spanned two decades, ended in a humiliating and chaotic withdrawal in 2021, with the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsing at an astonishing speed.
Hegseth’s remarks underscored the broader implications of this failure, linking it to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023—events that, in his view, have eroded perceptions of American strength. But beyond perceptions lies a harsh reality: Afghanistan was not just a failure; it was a debacle shaped by poor strategy, flawed assumptions, and the hubris of American military power.
The Illusion of Success: Why the U.S. Invaded Afghanistan
The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in October 2001, shortly after the 9/11 attacks, with the stated objective of dismantling Al-Qaeda and removing the Taliban from power. The initial phase of the war was swift and seemingly successful: Taliban forces were driven from Kabul, and a new government was installed. However, what followed was a prolonged counterinsurgency campaign that revealed deep flaws in American strategy.
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For years, U.S. officials presented a facade of progress. Reports from the Pentagon and successive administrations insisted that the Afghan security forces were growing in strength, that democracy was taking root, and that the Taliban had been weakened.
In reality, these assessments were built on lies, misrepresented intelligence, and a refusal to acknowledge the resilience of the Taliban. A scathing 2019 Washington Post report, based on the Afghanistan Papers, revealed that U.S. officials knowingly misled the public about the war’s progress, with one senior general admitting, “We didn’t know what we were doing.”
Why the U.S. Failed in Afghanistan
The collapse of Afghanistan in August 2021 was not an isolated event but the culmination of years of strategic failures. The reasons are many, but the most damning include:
- A Fatally Flawed Nation-Building Strategy The U.S. attempted to impose a Western-style democracy on a deeply tribal society with little history of centralized governance. Billions of dollars were poured into institutions that were corrupt and disconnected from the Afghan people. The government in Kabul was often viewed as an American puppet, lacking legitimacy in the eyes of many Afghans.
- Over-Reliance on a Fragile Afghan Military The U.S. spent two decades training Afghan security forces, only for them to disintegrate in a matter of weeks. Reports suggest that Afghan soldiers were often unpaid, demoralized, and unwilling to fight for a corrupt government. The Taliban, by contrast, maintained strong ideological cohesion and strategic patience.
- Pakistan’s Role in Undermining the War Effort While the U.S. focused on nation-building, Pakistan provided sanctuary to Taliban leaders. American officials knew this but continued funneling billions in aid to Pakistan, naively believing they could pressure Islamabad into cooperation.
- Shifting and Confused War Objectives Was the U.S. mission in Afghanistan about counterterrorism, democracy promotion, or defeating the Taliban? The war’s objectives constantly shifted, making it impossible to establish clear victory conditions.
- The Catastrophic Withdrawal The final blow came with the rushed withdrawal in 2021. Despite intelligence reports warning of the Taliban’s rapid advance, U.S. leaders miscalculated. The world watched in shock as Afghan civilians clung to departing American planes and as the Taliban entered Kabul without firing a shot. The withdrawal symbolized not just the loss of Afghanistan but the failure of American foreign policy.
A Pattern of Failure: Afghanistan, Iraq, and Vietnam
The failure in Afghanistan is not an isolated event. It echoes previous U.S. military failures in Iraq and Vietnam—wars defined by hubris, strategic miscalculations, and the inability to understand local dynamics.
Afghanistan vs. Iraq
Both wars were launched under the premise of security and democracy promotion, yet both descended into chaos. In Iraq, the U.S. dismantled Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist government, triggering an insurgency that led to years of instability.
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Similarly, in Afghanistan, the U.S. failed to create a sustainable government, leading to the Taliban’s resurgence. In both cases, the American public was misled about progress, with high-ranking officials refusing to admit the failures of their policies.
Afghanistan vs. Vietnam
The fall of Saigon in 1975 bears striking similarities to the fall of Kabul in 2021. In both wars, the U.S. propped up weak, corrupt governments that lacked legitimacy among their own people. American forces fought determined insurgents who outlasted their occupation. And in both cases, U.S. officials insisted victory was within reach—until it wasn’t. The sudden collapse of South Vietnam and Afghanistan revealed that years of U.S. military presence had not built sustainable states but rather fragile regimes dependent on American power.
The Consequences of Failure
The repercussions of the U.S. failure in Afghanistan extend far beyond its borders. Hegseth’s remarks about global instability are not mere rhetoric. The botched withdrawal emboldened adversaries like Russia and China, demonstrating that U.S. commitments can be reversed overnight. The loss of credibility has damaged alliances and led partners to question America’s ability to project power effectively.
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Furthermore, Afghanistan itself has returned to Taliban rule, with dire consequences for human rights, particularly for women and minorities. The very people the U.S. vowed to protect were abandoned in the chaos of withdrawal.
The Road Ahead: Can the U.S. Learn from Its Mistakes?
Hegseth promises accountability, but the question remains: will it materialize? Previous U.S. military failures—from Vietnam to Iraq—produced post-mortems but little actual reform. Without genuine introspection, the risk remains that the U.S. will repeat the same mistakes in future conflicts.
The lesson from Afghanistan is clear: military power alone cannot impose democracy or stability. American leaders must move beyond the illusion that overwhelming force can reshape societies with deep historical, cultural, and political complexities. If there is to be accountability, it must start with admitting the truth: the war in Afghanistan was not just a failure—it was a disaster born of arrogance and strategic blindness. Until these lessons are internalized, history is doomed to repeat itself.