Clearly, the hope of talking to the Taliban has failed. They are far from being contained and instead feel they are in the ascendency.

Despite the enormous security problems that exist -- suicide bombings, IED attacks, and green-on-blue incidents -- abandoning Afghanistan will create lasting consequences.

Not only will the Taliban reassert its authority throughout the south of the country through, fear, repression and discrimination, Afghanistan will again revert to becoming a cesspool for terrorist groups like al Qaeda.

In addition, the cultivation of opium poppies will turn parts of Afghanistan into a narco-state controlled and sanctioned by the Taliban, providing resources to a terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan and safe havens in neighboring Pakistan to plot and plan attacks across the globe, making the situation potentially more vulnerable than it was before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.