Almost immediately after the American invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, people started to wonder if we were getting ourselves into another Vietnam. Eighteen years later, victory in Afghanistan remains elusive and questions about the limits of American power remain. In the first of two episodes, Alice and Jim talk with historian Greg Daddis, counterinsurgency expert Erin Simpson, and retired General Barry McCaffrey about the similarities and differences between the wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan and consider how these conflicts have shaped the U.S. military and American society.

Features "Taoudella" by Azalai via Blue Dot Sessions.