Excellent article!
Afghanistan as a country on the map is strictly a fantasy. The best description is the Tribal Areas in Pakistan, which really belong to the area to the north. It's a jumble of groupings ruled by warlords and formerly vassals who gave lip service to a king.
These tribes simply don't put up with foreigners interfering with their affairs. I've been to the tribal areas along the Pakistani border, had tea in caves and even did some trout fishing. Pakistan had its agents in the area and they were very careful to do nothing that would upset the locals. This system has been in place for thousands of years. The only change has been the weapons in the hands of the locals.
The big mistake commited is that the Americans did not withdraw right away after trashing the Taliban. Now, militarily, it has become a lose-lose proposition. The only possible result of foreign armed intervention is further destabilisation of the region.
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