Charlie Wilson and the Afghan war.
Charlie Wilson, the Texas Congressman who spurred the U.S. to step up aid to Afghan Mujahadeen during the Soviet invasion, has passed away. Many people are hailing his life and his supposed prescience that the U.S. should have stayed committed to Afghanistan after the Soviet defeat.
Joshua Foust wrestles with his legacy and wonders whether the U.S. would have been better off not getting involved in Afghanistan in the first place. It's an interesting argument. Clearly a lot hinges on the question of how decisive Afghanistan was to the fall of the Soviet Union. Very decisive, and I think the case for U.S. aid is strong. Not very decisive, and the case collapses. I'm not sure how big a role it played. So to you, wise readers, was Afghanistan instrumental in destroying the Evil Empire?
(AP Photo)