On May 27, 2026, Vladimir Putin’s Russia signed a “military and security cooperation agreement” with the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan. In at least two ways, this appears to be a very unlikely fellowship. However, irony often accompanies desperation. A Pair of Significant Ironies The first irony is that the one-time KGB colonel in the Kremlin … Read more
Afghanistan represented a major military defeat. The world saw the collapse of a modern, organized military force, which enjoyed a material advantage over its adversary. In addition, the Afghan Armed Forces were made in the image and likeness of their American counterparts. Its military structures and assets should have been sufficient to hold off the … Read more
Amid the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, a glimmer of honor appeared on the horizon. A group of American veterans helped evacuate fellow Americans and faithful Afghans left behind to face the Taliban. These Americans, many of them former members of Special Forces, arranged to send people out of the country. After the fall of Kabul, … Read more
The dramatic images of the fall of Kabul to the Taliban cannot help but evoke the strikingly similar scenes from the defeat of South Vietnam 46 years ago. Thousands of people physically clinging to airplanes, triumphant Taliban fighters posing in the Afghan presidential palace and helicopters snatching up the last embassy officials off rooftops are … Read more
