Politics & Governance / International Politics / War & Conflict

Why America Lost in Afghanistan: 20 Years, $2.3 Trillion, and the Same Result

Afghanistan: Long War, Forgotten Peace

Michael Cox

In this video, we dissect the catastrophic failure of the US-led intervention in Afghanistan, based on the book *Afghanistan: Long War, Forgotten Peace* edited by Professor Michael Cox from the London School of Economics. We uncover the three original sins of nation-building: excluding the Taliban from politics, imposing a toxic electoral system, and forcing a hyper-centralized government on a decentralized society. Discover how Western counterterrorism tactics, corruption, and the drug war paradox fueled the insurgency, leading to the Taliban's return. This is the ultimate cautionary tale of modern state-building—a must-watch to understand why history repeats itself.