I really hope we aren’t repeating our negotiating experiences with North Viet Nam during the 1970s today in Afghanistan. We told our Vietnamese ally that we had their back in negotiating a cease-fire. They were not allowed to participate in the talks, just as the Afghan government is kept from the talks with the Taliban because we have their back. Our assurances then were lies.

How much are we willing to give away to get out? We pushed Afghan gender equality and universal education. Both are against Taliban ideology so if they hold to their requirements, will we throw the Afghan women under the bus? Will we decide to give away our view of justice and modernization to get out?

Viet Nam isn’t Afghanistan. Ho Chi Minh had no thought to attacking or supporting anyone or group wanting to attack outside of the Southeast Asian theatre. It took a long time for Americans to get comfortable with the Vietnamese communists. I do not ever see how we can have a normal relationship with a Taliban ideology Afghanistan. The Chinese are trying to gain influence for mining and passing through with the New China Road but they will ultimately fail.

Over 22,000 Afghan army and police were killed last year fighting the Taliban. We lost nineteen troops. Every death is bad but we can’t cut and run this time. No matter what assurances the Taliban gives us now, Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups will return. Even if it takes another twenty years, we have to stay until the Taliban is completely defeated.