George Orwell wrote, “The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it.” The Biden administration tried that idea on for size in Afghanistan. But here’s the problem: losing a war rarely means you put the unpleasantness behind you and move on to things you’d rather deal with. Instead, lose a war and you just might end up with other and bigger problems, and maybe other wars. …We’ve seen this before. When America appears weak, confused, distracted, and at its own throat, only bad things happen. Consider some of the things that happened after South Vietnam fell to communist North Vietnamese forces in 1975—while the United States stood by with eyes primly averted while tens of thousands were executed, hundreds of thousands tossed into prison camps, and the “boat people” exodus led to immense suffering and dying. [For a history lesson on US failures in foreign policy and the terrible world-wide impact, read this article. It will also help you understand what is presently in play.]
