The following article is an opinion piece by Daniel Jasper of the American Friends Service Committee. Views expressed in opinion articles are exclusively the author’s own and do not represent those of NK News.

Korea and Afghanistan are seldom connected in the minds of most Americans. Separated by time and space, the two conflicts seem to reflect vastly different geopolitical circumstances and national priorities. 

Yet the two conflicts have a circuitous connection that gave rise to the now infamous brand of conflict dubbed the “forever war.”

In many ways, the Korean War paved the way for the conflict in