re: There is much truth in what you say
I can see a lot more possibility for region-wide disaster after we abandon Iraq--and inevitably under the exact same pressures Afghanistan--than I do if the "stalemate" (as you call it) continues.
Has anybody factored that into their thinking? What is the balance of costs and consequences? I see an entire range of post-surrender thinking here from a complete collapse of the region, to a few little conflicts that dribble off into nothing of importance.