The U.S is set to withdraw combat forces from Afghanistan in 2014, and most Americans think that is a good thing. The conventional wisdom holds that whether the Taliban returns to power strictly concerns the Afghans and is of no import to America. The conventional wisdom is wrong. A Taliban-run Afghanistan would be a disaster for America, a sanctuary for anti-American jihadists immune from U.S intervention. If the Afghan government collapses, and the Taliban returns to power, our withdrawal will go down as one of the worst blunders in American history. Afghanistan is a landlocked country surrounded by nations that would never allow an American army to transit their territory. To the east and south it is bordered by Pakistan, to the west by Iran. This leaves the central Asian Republics and China as the only other access points to the country. China is also unlikely to allow an American army to use its soil to invade another country. The central Asian republics are landlocked and...(Read Full Post)