The US, the Taliban and the stunning defeat in Afghanistan

The Taliban victory is a major humiliation for the US, but perhaps that’s the silver lining of the Afghan tragedy.

Last week’s turn of events in Afghanistan has been utterly shocking but hardly surprising. The Taliban’s blistering takeover of the country’s main cities was breathtaking in its speed and ease, culminating in their march on the capital almost unopposed as President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. It was expected, yes, but no so rapidly, so victoriously, so humiliatingly.