Thread by @MMazarr

A couple of profound lessons the United States should learn from the Afghanistan experience--one that go well beyond CT and COIN and corruption and nation building, to the broader principles of a post-primacy foreign policy acutely aware of America's shifting global position

1. Stop being infuriated with others for having different interests + perspectives on issues and refusing to accede to US demands. Often we "blame" others for behavior that we could easily have anticipated (and often did). That's on us, not them
thediplomat.com/2021/09/the-us…

Whether it's Pakistan's view of Afghanistan, or China's interests in DPRK, or India's view of Russia, or EU's of Iran: We need to work around others' divergent perspectives rather than trying to bully them into our lane. One lesson: Stop w/the sanctions, especially secondary

2. Drop the zero-sum thinking. We ought to know by now that a loss for the US doesn't equate to an unqualified win for our rivals. Often situations that challenge the US create equal or greater risks for others
foreignaffairs.com/articles/china…

Sometimes, too, a seeming decisive loss eventually gives way to significant geopolitical advantage
asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Vietna…

All that highlights the need to drop absolutism and moralism, distinguish essential baseline goals + interests from maximalist ones, think systemically and long-term, be clever and efficient in strategy vs piling on resources. Unclear yet if we're capable of this paradigm shift