I’m just another amateur! “The graveyard of empires” amuses me because it assumes each empire wanting something from Afghanistan. They all knew/know that it can’t be tamed. As I mentioned, empires have to get involved anyway, whether they like it or not. The same for North Korea. It’s a buffer between the West (South Korea) and China. Trump never proved his idiocy more that believing North Korea would or COULD become friends with the West. So the idea that the U.S. didn’t learn its lesson about Afghanistan makes no sense to me. Nor Russia. Same would be for China. If China has to send troops one day it won’t happen because they don’t understand how that graveyard works. I believe you’re right, the Taliban will be less of a chooser this time. The question is will East and West not take shots at each other, as they have in the past, at Afghanistan’s expense?