When the last C-17 lifted off from Kabul, Washington called it the end of an era. But for veterans and soldiers who served there, it felt more like a bitter betrayal. Twenty years, trillions of dollars, thousands of lives—and the Taliban is back in power, just like 2001. The messy exit raised a brutal truth: America doesn’t always win wars anymore. That shakes the entire idea of U.S. global leadership. Allies saw the chaos and asked: if America couldn’t stabilize Afghanistan, what happens if Taiwan or Ukraine falls? Afghanistan wasn’t just a military failure—it was a credibility crisis. And credibility is the currency of power. #Military #Afghanistan