The United States needs to confront the realities of the war in Afghanistan, and it needs to do it now.
Just a few weeks ago, President Donald Trump told the American people that he was committing the United States to an open-ended war in Afghanistan. Shortly thereafter, Secretary of Defense James Mattis announced the deployment of 3,500 more troops, which would bring the total to roughly 15,000.
The announcements barely registered on the national consciousness, and the country quickly moved on.