Nice short history. But the difficulty to doing something has little to do with its importance. Part of me is happy we've left Afghanistan. Let's see how the Taliban does when Pakistan no longer has a reason to support vigorously. Let's see what the Taliban does when Pakistan, like you say, sends a brutal and clear message to the Taliban about who is boss. And let's not forget India. Or whatever unintended consequences await in Kashmir, or Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, etc.

The U.S. has lost control of the region. That's been a trend for years. Biden made what looks like a simple and correct decision. An easy conclusion from what you wrote. But it's too early to say what future generations will say with 20/20 hindsight.

It only take one dirty bomb assembled in Afghanistan and blown up in Britain, say, to write the opposite history of "what the hell were you people thinking"