Afghanistan: Ending Forever War Is Good for Democracy at Home

I’m glad the Forever War is ending. As embarrassing, disgraceful, and ugly as Joe Biden has made our exit — and be assured, he does deserve the blame for his own plan going awry — it is not nearly as ugly as the last decade of corruption, death, and mayhem, things that never seemed to bother advocates of the Forever War, until we ceased participating in it.

It’s impossible to overstate how much idealism has been lost in 20 years of war in Afghanistan. Advocates of “hard Wilsonianism” told anyone who might raise the slightest hesitation about democratizing the Middle East and the Hindu Kush that we were bigots. George W. Bush, in his second inaugural, nodded toward this: “Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty,” he said, before assuring us that “all who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: The United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors.” Unless you live in Saudi Arabia, or are Middle Eastern Christians subject to the CIA-funded “moderate rebels.”

About the Author

Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is a senior writer at National Review Online.

Featured Tags

I’m glad the Forever War is ending. As embarrassing, disgraceful, and ugly as Joe Biden has made our exit — and be assured, he does deserve the blame for his own plan going awry — it is not nearly as ugly as the last decade of corruption, death, and mayhem, things that never seemed to bother advocates of the Forever War, until we ceased participating in it.

It’s impossible to overstate how much idealism has been lost in 20 years of war in Afghanistan. Advocates of “hard Wilsonianism” told anyone who might raise the slightest hesitation about democratizing the Middle East and the Hindu Kush that we were bigots. George W. Bush, in his second inaugural, nodded toward this: “Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty,” he said, before assuring us that “all who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: The United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors.” Unless you live in Saudi Arabia, or are Middle Eastern Christians subject to the CIA-funded “moderate rebels.”