You have hit the nail on the head in my opinion. Some people would call me a handwringer around here but a good tactician thinks one step ahead of the enemy.
The mujahadeen drove the Russians broke. Unfortunately, the mujahadeen and the other Islamist nutcakes think they also brought the USSR to its end. This is where they were wrong. The USSR failed because it is a socialist state and didn't harness the energy of capitalism. It was doomed from its inception and barely held together by decades of a ruthless totalitarian rule.
The US holds a much stronger hand and we should be wary of getting our selves overcommitted when there are many other monsters in the world we will fight over the next half century.
The plates are shifting though and the next phase of the Great War of the 21st Century moves ahead. Iran has upped the ante and is challenging the West. Will the civilized world be overrun by the savages because they are to proud to see the common threat. Time will tell. Honestly, I am less and less optimistic each day.
The mujahadeen drove the Russians broke. Unfortunately, the mujahadeen and the other Islamist nutcakes think they also brought the USSR to its end. This is where they were wrong. The USSR failed because it is a socialist state and didn't harness the energy of capitalism.==
Russians are not Soviets. And mudjahadeens didn't drove Soviets broke. They accually lost 1.5 mlns against soviet 15000 casualties. 100:1.
Soviet Union failed because of Gorby the first russian national in charge of Soviet Union.