Even when I'm most optimistic, I can't imagine how we'll ever stop giving military aid to the Afghanistan government. Why? For the same reason I can't see how we'll stop giving military aid to Colombia: the drug war. When I'm most pessimistic, I think we will eventually lose interest in Afghanistan, and our enemies there will have been able to wait us out using to an extorted cut of the profits from poppy sales.

While I'm on the subject, I'll note some of my general disgust with the drug war. First, I don't see how ingesting a chemical is intrinscially wrong. Second, especially when looking at statisitics like these, I can't fathom how the drug war is worth its cost. Third, are opiates really that addictive?