Nikki Haley Has a Point on the Afghanistan Debacle’s Impact on Putin’s Calculus

‘Let’s look at where we are,” former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley told the audience at a CNN town hall on Sunday night. Her assessment of the international-threat environment was grim. From the Iranian nuclear program to brinkmanship from Beijing and Pyongyang to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “We’ve got chaos everywhere.” And yet, Haley added, “none of that would have happened had we not had that debacle in Afghanistan.”

“The idea that we left Bagram Airforce Base in the middle of the night without telling our allies, who stood shoulder to shoulder with us for decades because we asked them to be there,” she continued. “Think about what that told our friends. More importantly, think about what that told our enemies.”

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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‘Let’s look at where we are,” former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley told the audience at a CNN town hall on Sunday night. Her assessment of the international-threat environment was grim. From the Iranian nuclear program to brinkmanship from Beijing and Pyongyang to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “We’ve got chaos everywhere.” And yet, Haley added, “none of that would have happened had we not had that debacle in Afghanistan.”

“The idea that we left Bagram Airforce Base in the middle of the night without telling our allies, who stood shoulder to shoulder with us for decades because we asked them to be there,” she continued. “Think about what that told our friends. More importantly, think about what that told our enemies.”

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.