Yes well we can’t win in Afghanistan. No one ever has. It was idiotic to think we could. However politicians never lack for hubris and it’s not they or their families are going to suffer.
Nobody ever sailed off the edge of the earth and came back to tell about it, that is until Columbus did. We know that there never was an edge to sail off of, but everybody was convinced of it so it was.
So many “nations” went into the area known as Afghanistan for their own leaders or rulers selfish reasons to conquer it. The populace, especially outside of Kabul are mostly ignorant but ignorance does not also mean they are stupid. The slaves brought to this country were ignorant but not stupid. It is that misconception the “less ignorant” world needs to grapple with and not see it as to win in that country.
Until their vast natural resources are exploited for the good of all in the country, they will do whatever is easiest to eek out a meager living to feed their families the best they know how. Know how, and are shown how. But first, peace must be won, not us. Japan was a warrior country until through the grace of God we came up with the atomic bomb first. What would have been an unimaginable human loss of life if we were to have invaded them, even when they knew they were whipped, would have been many millions killed. It is a bad image to say that because those who most likely would have been sacrificed in an invasion of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would have been even worse in a conventional assault. That is not to mention all those who would have come from the entire island nation to help in their defense.
The only thing that would quell their defense worked out to be the realization there was none left. We are now facing the same realization in that general area. first, instead of coddling their “gods” in a foolish effort to “win their hearts”, we must first win their respect. We also know the only way to win their respect is to crush their “gods” with unimaginable force to show there is no refuge for the zealots no matter where they go to hide among the populace. Think Dresden, Berlin and many other places the German war machine tried to hide and we would not create no go zones in our effort to eradicate them.
Yes, we can “win” but the problem exists of our own making by allowing them, the Taliban and now ISIS, to define where the rfuge is that we will not go after them. The reality is War is Hell and until we bring their Hell upon them, then yes we or anybody else will not win.