It is time to just give Afghanistan to the Taliban unless we can find somebody else stupid enough to take it

Colonel Lang reports that Afghanistan customs is dunning us for the vehicles we brought into the country to keep them in power.  Maybe there was an age old and respected statute we are violating and we should be paying up.  Whatever it is, however, it should be offset by our saving the skins of the corrupt members of the government apparatus.

What is happening was characterized thus by the Colonel,

This is a standard "shake down" technique practised across the region from Morocco to Bangla Desh.  It is a common thing for governments to try to charge customs duty on everything foreign military forces or aid organizations bring into a country.

Our foreign policy of military intervention and aid is viewed by the recipients as a cow to milk.  It will always be thus and is a compelling argument for a Neutralist foreign policy.

The Colonel also writes,

The fact that this is "coming to a head" in Afghanistan is an indication that the flow of cash money is drying up.

So there is an end, at least partial coming and some are trying to suck the cow dry beforehand.  I suspect when we go the Taliban will have a run at it.  I don't want the Afghan kleptocrats finding asylum here.  I don't care if they spend their declining years in Dubai and am not wanting to see them najibullahed.  I just don't want them over here pontificating on my countries mistakes.

Original article at the Washington Post.