Yogi Berra famously said: “It ain’t over till it’s over.” An entrepreneurial friend amended that with: “And even then it might not be over.” While our Afghanistan catastrophe is winding down, I fear our departure may not be the end of the story.

Afghanistan has more than 14 distinct ethnic groups. The Taliban are Pashtuns, and although militant, are not the clear majority. Unless they can deliver a stable, moderate, inclusive government, there is sure to be widespread resistance and violence. Read: civil war and terrorism.

Columnist Tom Friedman wrote in The New York Times on Aug. 16 that “with the United States gone, the Taliban will also have to navigate their survival while swimming alone with some real sharks – Pakistan, India, China, Russia and Iran. They might want to keep the White House phone number on speed dial.” Maybe this is why the Taliban have allowed the U.S. to evacuate our citizens and allies in a relatively orderly, nonviolent manner.

Michael Morell, a past deputy director of the CIA, said on CBS last week that we never should have stayed more than a year there. He was not alone. Fifteen years ago, I was chatting with a retired CIA station chief. I asked him how we were ever going to get out of Afghanistan. He said: “It’s simple. We put everyone on a plane who wants to go and we fly them out.” Apparently, his wish has finally come true. Now let’s hope Afghanistan doesn’t become “like deja vu all over again.”

Richard McWilliams
Yarmouth

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