Rod and Kale discuss the immediate aftermath of the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan and the 20 years in the making debacle. How did this happen, and who is to be held accountable? They discuss the resonances between this disgraceful exit and the exit from Vietnam. Will there be a hostage crisis in the aftermath? Does this catastrophe reveal a breakdown in our intelligence capabilities, our diplomacy, our political will and overall sense-making?

They they transition to a discussion of social media’s role not only in public virtue signaling amongst the elites, but the increasing role the virtual spaces play in our ongoing cultural crisis. What have all these things done to the collective trust?

Mentioned in this episode:

• Tuchman’s The March of Folly: https://www.amazon.com/March-Folly-Troy-Vietnam/dp/0345308239
• Kipling’s “The Gods of the Copybook Headings”: https://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/poems_copybook.htm
• Andy Bacevich: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/07/books/review/after-the-apocalypse-andrew-bacevich.html
• Laura Jadeed: https://laurajedeed.medium.com/afghanistan-meant-nothing-9e3f099b00e5