The whole article is based on a Strawman... i.e. the only options are all out war, or do nothing.
That is why nobody will vote for the dumb bastards, they lie as much as liberals.
The real option is to stomp a bully’s ass and go home. No need to run their house or cure their problems. You warn them to stop what they are doing, and punish them severely if they don’t.
No reward for doing what you want, just punishment if they don’t do it!
We are still using the WWII model. Afghanistan is not Germany or Japan, it’s a backwater hell-hole, and always has been. Iraq is no better. Guilt makes us stay around to try to save them from themselves.