Scott talks to Jerrod Laber about the status of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan following the Washington Post’s release of their “Afghanistan Papers” last week. Laber thinks that if and when American troops leave, things are sure to get worse in the short term. The Afghan government is likely to collapse, and the Taliban will be able to consolidate power in many regions of the country. As things begin to stabilize, however, he and Scott think it will start to get better for the Afghan people, who will no longer be caught in America’s senseless war. In any case, the sooner we can withdraw, the sooner the country can begin to progress, slowly, on its own—likely the only way to see any kind of positive and sustainable change.

Discussed on the show:

• “Don’t Buy the Pentagon’s Statements on Afghanistan” (Real Clear Defense)
• “The Afghanistan Papers” (Washington Post)
• Defense Planning Guidance, FY 1994-1999
• “Survey of the Afghan People” (The Asia Foundation)

Jerrod A. Laber is a Washington-based foreign policy writer and journalist who focuses on the Afghanistan War, national security and the post-9/11 world. His work has been published in The Independent UK, Defense One, Washington Examiner, The National Interest, and The American Conservative, among other outlets. Follow him on Twitter @JerrodALaber.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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