Shows the consequences of short-term thinking

"Did the Afghan Failure Lead to the Ukraine War?" by Carl Bildt - Project Syndicate

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/afghanistan-us-failure-set-stage-for-russia-invasion-ukraine-by-carl-bildt-2022-08

"Once the US had signaled its intention to withdraw completely from Afghanistan, it embarked on a rushed evacuation. In short order, the Afghan army lost access even to the repair and logistics personnel needed to maintain the complicated weapons systems that had been supplied to it. No wonder morale among Afghan troops collapsed. When the US cut and ran, Afghan soldiers took it as a signal to do the same. 

The context for the US withdrawal had been shaped by the shameful deal that President Donald Trump struck with the Taliban in February 2020. With that, America indicated that it no longer cared whether there was a viable peace or political agreement in Afghanistan. It would leave no matter what, effectively abandoning the Afghan government. 

When President Joe Biden took office, he decided to follow through on the Trump administration’s policy – against the advice of many. The US political system had become fed up with its own failures in Afghanistan. As the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction noted in a devastating report that year, there had never been a 20-year plan for the country; instead, there had been 20 one-year plans."