Reality - suggest that the Afghan situation after 16 years more closely aligns with our experience in Vietnam.  Why?  Certain US elites e.g. military, think tanks, etc. bought into the *Domino Theory* to rally anti-communist support.  (btw - that theory has been shown to be false)
This caused a *mis-reading* of the actual Vietnamese situation - it was not a communist invasion but a local, indigenous uprising - a nationalist desire to be separated from a historical pattern of domination/influence by other powers e.g. French colony, Japanese occupied, etc.  FDR and Truman could have aligned with these nationalists in late 1940s-early 50s as recommended by state department experts.  Instead, US repeated the mistakes of France; gutted a UN effort and independence vote.  By LBJ and Tonkin Gulf justification (another fake event), US began a series of supporting various dictatorships/military leaders under the guise of anti-communism.  We know how that turned out.