What if there had been no American and allied intervention in Afghanistan? I have been pondering that question, given that the US apparently plans to leave the country on Sept. 11, 2021, 20 years after its forces arrived, and that I was looking at the list of great needs outlined in the Humanitarian Response Plan 2018-2021.

Even in a country that has been torn by conflict, it is possible to work in a way that rebuilds local governance. It is not necessary to add further conflict. That is a choice, and it has been an expensive one for the US, its allies and the people of Afghanistan, in lives and money.