In the wake of last summer’s mass uprisings against the police state that killed George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, among so many others, many on the progressive left believed that real change was imminent. Unprecedented numbers of people poured into the streets, day after day, in the midst of a global pandemic.

The way a country winds down a war in a faraway place and stands with those who risked their own safety to help in the fight sends a message to the world that is not soon forgotten. As President Obama announced last week, the U.S. will withdraw all but 9,800 troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.