There would be less poppy-based drugs, the CIA would have one less “war”, there would be less arms smuggling in the world (F&F for Afghanistan), and perhaps most importantly, there would be less child trafficking in the world.
A whole lot of patriots would be still alive and un wounded................
The mistake was supporting a Constitution that was explicitly Islamic. After that became the law of the land that was the time to go.
And simply instituted a travel ban with most Muslim countries?
Best, fastest, cheapest "Homeland Security" measure that could have been done. Of course Bush and America's deep state would not accept that.
Nukes would have been good.
No one can say what would have happened, way too many alternative paths that could have followed.
Pure speculation.
RE: What If America Had Never Invaded Afghanistan?
Osama Bin Ladin would probably still be alive in Afghanistan protected by the Taliban and still coordinating more Al Qaeda attacks against the USA.
If all we had done after 9/11 was bomb Afghanistan, and that campaign failed to kill Osama or any of his deputies, would Bush have been reelected in 2004?
Would we have President Kerry for eight years?
We should not have set one boot on the ground in that forsaken land.
Bush Junior focused Americas anger on the wrong country. Saudi Arabia and then later Pakistan deserved our attention, not Afghanistan and Iraq. Americans died, our nation has wasted money and resources, for a lost cause. Bigger picture is that we should have gone in to win and defeat our enemies, not coddle them and build nations. We should have eradicated the Islamic Cult. Instead, 20 years later we are in a morass, Biden has surrendered, Americans are held hostage, and our Afghani supporters are dying.
The decision or mandate of “regime change” or democratization in Afg was so misguided, it would be laughable it if wasn’t so horrifically tragic. Unless the idea from the beginning was to spend and grift off many billions of dollars and I do not rule that out, odious as the idea is.
There was never a regime to change. Nobody ever asked the Afghanis whether they actually wanted democracy so badly that they would be willing to renounce their religion in the course of fulfilling that desire.
What if there had never been a 9/11 ???
Go back a few years and ask, what if they hadn’t overthrown the king and replaced him with “democracy”? Which led to communists, Russians, jihadis, Taliban, and the utter destruction of the country.
Sort of like replacing the Shah of Iran with “democracy” which brought the ayatollahs.
Carter thought the ayatollah was a “natural anticommunist” and would help us open up the muslim underbelly of the Soviet Union. Brilliant.
Of course you could say the problems in Afghanistan date back much further than 1973.
Would we have then invaded Iraq?
What if the American citizenry were well informed, patriotic Americans?
He makes some decent points.
OTOH, if “ifs and buts” were candy and nuts, We would be at the carnival
What if America had never gone to Korea or Vietnam or the Middle East?