Has the taliban won?
Yes we’ve killed their leaders and tons of them, but at what cost?
They made the largest attack on American soil, drew us into a multi-trillion dollar war with no way to win, and led to things like the Patriot Act and the recently signed NDAA. People always said the terrorists were jealous of our freedoms/liberties/rights and wanted to take them away, and ever since 9/11, it feels like Americans have been throwing them away without a second thought.
So cliff-notes.
Since 9-11:
Over 50,000 Americans killed. Americans that wouldn’t have died if we hadn’t went to war.
Trillions of dollars blown.
Americans stripped of rights/liberties/freedoms.
The Taliban has received more recruitment tools thanks to resentment of occupation, several cases of poor conduct from US soldiers/mercenaries, and martyrdom of their fallen leaders who, according to their propaganda, are chilling in heaven with 72 virgins serving to them for all eternity.
So who’s really winning here?
Would the revolutions in the Middle East have spread through Iraq and Afghanistan without America biting on the war on terrorism, freeing them without costing us so many lives and so much money prying into someone else’s affairs?