事实上败走西贡后美国确实转向保守，而在1989年苏联撤出阿富汗后，美国人对这个国家的漠视则导致阿国内部陷入混乱，几乎让基地组织夺取了整个政权。
America did, indeed, turn inward following the fall of Saigon, and its neglect of Afghanistan following the Soviet withdrawal in 1989 led to chaos and Al Qaeda’s near-takeover of the country.