Our picks: AfghanistanThe Real Saigon Analogy | The Taliban Are Back. Now What? | Afghanistan Was Lost Long Ago, and more

What the Collapse of Afghanistan Means for America’s Future  (Daniel R. DePetris, National Interest)
This past-action theory of credibility has proven to be bogus, in large part because no two situations or crises are identical—and no two U.S. presidents are identical either.

The Real Saigon Analogy  (Mark Atwood Lawrence, Foreign Affairs)
Vietnam Wasn’t the End of U.S. Credibility, and Neither Is Afghanistan

Ahmad Massoud: ‘Peace Does Not Mean to Surrender’  (Lynne O’Donnell, Foreign Policy)
The leader of the Afghan anti-Taliban resistance vows to battle in the encircled Panjshir Valley to keep alive his father’s dream.

Stop the Doomsaying. U.S. Credibility Will Weather Afghanistan.  (Dennis B. Ross, New York Times)
Despite the messy exit from Kabul and the devastating bombings at the Kabul Airport, Afghanistan will be no different than other American foreign policy setbacks. Partners and allies will publicly decry American decisions for some time, as they continue to rely on the U.S. economy and military. The reality will remain: America is the most powerful country in the world, and its allies will need its help to combat direct threats and an array of new, growing national security dangers, including cyberwar and climate change.

Veteran Afghan Strongmen to Form New Front for Negotiating with Taliban  (Reuters / VOA News)
A band of veteran Afghan leaders, including two regional strongmen, are angling for talks with the Taliban and plan to meet within weeks to form a new front for holding negotiations on the country’s next government, a member of a group said.
Khalid Noor, son of Atta Mohammad Noor, the once-powerful governor of northern Afghanistan’s Balkh province, said the group comprised of veteran ethnic Uzbek leader Abdul Rashid Dostum and others opposed to the Taliban’s takeover.

How Afghanistan Changed a Superpower  (Joy Neumeyer, The Atlantic)
Moscow’s failed intervention led Soviets to reassess both the ends and the means of empire.

The Taliban Are Back. Now What?  (Sahar Khan, CATO)
Will the international community recognize the Taliban? The answer is not so simple.

Afghanistan Was Lost Long Ago  (James Dobbins, Foreign Affairs)
Defeat Wasn’t Inevitable, but Early Mistakes Made Success Unlikely