As America Exits, History Repeats Itself in Afghanistan

Aug 14, 2021

Also published in The Hill
A U.S. military helicopter evacuates personnel from the American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan
About the Authors
Simon Henderson
Simon Henderson

Simon Henderson is the Baker Senior Fellow and director of the Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy at The Washington Institute, specializing in energy matters and the conservative Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

Articles & Testimony

The question is whether and how these historical echoes will affect decisionmaking in Russia, Iran, China, Pakistan, and India.

What are the parallels between the U.S. troop drawdowns in Afghanistan and Vietnam? Everyone, it seems, chooses their own reference point when discussing history or events that may prove to be “historical.” Washington is obsessing over the comparisons with what happened in Vietnam in 1975, but it could be argued that, at least from a policy point of view, the experiences of the Soviets and the British before them in Afghanistan are perhaps even more useful in the learning process...

Read the full article on the Hill website.

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