Status Updates From Conflict: The Evolution of ...

9-hour flight to Rome

“…Afghanistan did not have to fall… Thus, in the end, the US was able to withdraw from its forever war in Afghanistan, but only by losing the conflict, allowing the country to become an extremist safe haven once again and condemning some 40 million Afghans to a future of repression, deprivation, severely circumscribed opportunities and, very likely, continued violence.” - General David Petraeus

“I believe the benefits [of US involvement in Vietnam] were many though they have long been ignored… I have always believed… that our decision to save South Vietnam in 1965 prevented Indonesia from falling to Communism and probably preserved the American presence in Asia… I do not believe our soldiers or our people need be ashamed.”

- Henry Kissinger’s memo to President Ford, 12 May 1975