Podcast Episode

The War in Afghanistan Is Over. Or Is It?

Deep Dish on Global Affairs··21 August 2026·21 min

About this episode

Nearly five years after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, former US Ambassador Ryan Crocker joins Leslie Vinjamuri to reflect on America's longest war and what its ending revealed about American power. Crocker argues that the withdrawal emboldened America's adversaries and sent a dangerous message about its willingness to stay the course. "We went into Afghanistan for the right reasons," he says. "We came out for the wrong ones."