Almost exactly 25 years ago, the Taliban captured Kabul for the first time. I still remember the sense of foreboding while following the coverage in the Times of India in Aug-Sep 1996. We all know how that played out.

The situation is very different now, and there will be much less violence this time, at least initially when Kabul falls. But it is difficult to imagine how this round plays out in a fundamentally different way. History may judge Biden very harshly for this withdrawal.