Afghanistan

There seems to be a growing consensus about what will happen in Afghanistan.  America is exhausted.  We do not want to continue to pour blood and treasure into a country with a weak and corrupt central government.  We cannot afford to.  We set out with two goals in Afghanistan:  1)  get rid of Al Queda central and 2) set up a stable, democratic government.  We achieved the 1st goal.  The second goal is partially successful, but only by expensively keeping the US troops in place and bribing a coalition of warlords and the Karzi government.  That spigot is going to be soon cut off and almost no one thinks the Karzi central government will hold.  The Taliban continue to exist in a different form from pre-9/11, but we cannot defeat them so long as they are supported by Pakistan.  The Taliban are waiting for us to leave and will take over a large part of the country.  I do not imagine they will house Al Queda or other like-minded terrorist groups again.

What do we call this?  A stalemate?  It is beginning to look a bit like the Korean war.  I wonder if these smaller wars American has fought post-WW2 to stalemates or indecisive victories are cost-effective proxy battles that are essentially preventative and allow us to avoid massive conflicts or whether they are stupid diversions.  That is to say, did our positions in Korea and Vietnam, help to prevent an all out shooting war with the Soviets and/or the Chinese?  Did this war in Afghanistan help to prevent a future nuclear battle with Pakistan and/or an eventual battle with the Saudis and/or the Iranians?  Who is to say?