How is that measure of success? You can only make that claim, if you look at the probable hypothetical scenario of US not bombing the hell out of Vietnam and the trajectory of the people of that country had been free from US military intrusion.
All I can say is if the Vietnamese have come this far DESPITE recieving greater volume of bombs then used in the entire WW2 one can only marvel how far they would have got without this mayhem and destruction.
Unless you think a apple a day and bomb a day helps people to go further ....... ????
it's a success, by all means.
war is politics by other means, that means war are options when you ought to compel your foe into accepting your whims.
The now defunct Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was established by the US as an alternative to the draconian 90s Taliban Islamic Emirate.
characteristic that differ the Islamic republic to that of the Islamic Emirate at the time include:
1. Acceptance of international norms
2. Western standard human right
3. Secular law instead of Islamic sharia law
4. Inclusion of all ethnic and religious people in the government and society.
while this project (Islamic republic) eventually failed , the 20 years war is enough to compel the Taliban 2.0 to let go of their old self and start accepting those points I made above.
So basically, the Taliban is now modeling themselves after the liking and taste of the US, gradually.
the fact that the Taliban has now accepted law from Zahir shah era instead of the sharia, is a proof of such success, credited to 20 years of non stop superior NATO firepower.
so yes it's a V for NATO.
they've just remodeled the Taliban.