Afghanistan proved to be a lesson in the limits of America's military power. Claims by senior military officers of having "turned a corner" toward success in Afghanistan were repeated so regularly that critics wondered whether the military was going in circles. He made clear that this was a global war on terrorism, not just a fight in Afghanistan. Yet even as talk of a war on terrorism faded, the war in Afghanistan persisted, long after victory fell out of reach. "In the end, we prosecuted the war in Afghanistan because we could," Eikenberry said.

Source: New Zealand Herald July 17, 2021 13:41 UTC