GZERO World Clips
The volunteer US military & America's shame post-Afghanistan
The Volunteer US Military & America's Shame Post-Afghanistan | GZERO World
September 02, 2022
For Elliot Ackerman, leaving no man behind was part of his code of honor when he was first a US marine and later a CIA officer. But the US military principle was not followed when American troops departed Afghanistan a year ago.
"There was no process to get our allies out," he tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.
Ackerman laments how US forces were forced to turn their back on Afghans they'd cultivated personal relationships with for 20 years — when they most needed help.
He also shares his thoughts on whether an all-volunteer military is what America needs amid deeply dysfunctional domestic politics.
Watch the GZERO World episode: The fallout from US Afghanistan withdrawal: a Marine's perspective
From Your Site Articles
More For You
Houthi solders gather in front of a digital billboard featuring a Houthi Unmanned surface vehicle in the Red Sea during a protest against the United States and Israel, amidst the ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, on July 11, 2025.
IMAGO/ Sanaa Yemen
Iran is now threatening to shut down shipping in the Red Sea unless the United States ends its blockade outside the Strait of Hormuz.
Most Popular
What's Good Wednesdays
What’s Good Wednesday, April 15th, 2026
Sponsored posts
The next phase of AI is physical
Walmart sponsored posts
Walmart’s $1 billion investment is strengthening associate careers
Tehran tests Washington’s naval blockade, Spain’s leader visits China again, Ukrainian robots take back land
Apr 14, 2026
Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in the United Arab Emirates, on March 11, 2026.
REUTERS/Stringer
One day after US President Donald Trump announced that he had started a blockade of ships coming in and out of Iranian ports via the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran is already testing those US commitments.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom Geert Wilders, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, and Italy's deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini attend the first so-called "Patriots' Grand Assembly" of nationalist groups from Europe, in Budapest, Hungary, on March 23, 2026.
REUTERS/Marton Monus
Viktor Orbán’s defeat in Sunday’s Hungarian election could be a tipping point on the continent.
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.