This Afghan mission has been a disaster. Once bin Laden was killed, the US should have withdrawn totally in three months. The mission has devolved into nation building and attempting to impose Western cultural mores especially women’s rights on a foreign culture. Next time some eager ideologue wants to change the ninth century values of a country half way around the world, send thirty thousand laptops with a good internet connection instead of thirty thousand troops. You cannot change people at the point of a bayonet unless you are as cruel and efficient as Caesar. Afghanistan was simply not worth the sacrifice of human and material treasure.
Agreed. I don’t believe in nation building. In those very rare instance where we go to war, I believe in destroying enemy resistance as quickly as possible and making them conform to our will. I am also opposed to unconstitutional uses of force. Except in short-term emergencies, when we use force, we should have a formal declaration of war. That way we won’t take such actions lightly and the nation will be fully behind the war effort.