Most assessments of U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as the predicted advances of the Taliban, focus on two key outcomes: 1) the reversal of Western human rights and standards in the country, particularly for women, and 2) the devolution of Afghanistan into a terrorist base for outward strikes against distant foreign powers. These are not necessarily wrong perceptions, particularly given the history of the Taliban’s first conquest of Afghanistan. In a destabilized Afghanistan, stricken with civil war, the Taliban may again recruit or harbor foreign fighters. Indeed, they are already reportedly working with militant Tajik groups along the Tajikistan border. A drawn-out conflict , or even a limited success in key areas in the south, could very well leave ungoverned space where foreign forces could train, plan and carry out strikes on neighboring countries or internationally.