Afghanistan and Pakistan are sinking deeper into disarray, and the United States bears a significant share of the blame.
As long as this long-troubled region remains mired in turmoil, Islamist terrorism will continue to thrive, with grave implications for international security.
Begin with Afghanistan. In the nearly 22 months since the U.S. abandoned the country to the Pakistan-backed Taliban militia, a terrorist super-state has emerged. Beyond committing atrocities against the Afghan people and re-imposing medieval practices, including reducing Afghan women’s status to that of chattels, the Taliban has sustained cozy ties with al-Qaida and several other terror groups.