Just a quick note before we get started, today's episode was recorded before any concrete details were known about the terror attack in Kabul.

From the Heritage Foundation, I'm Michelle Cordero, and this is Heritage Explains.

Thousands in Afghanistan are still waiting and hoping to escape the country now controlled by the Taliban.

Recent terror attacks right outside Kabul's International Airport have made it even more difficult

to evacuate.

It is risky for them to be there.

It is a dangerous and difficult mission.

Vice President Harris in Vietnam this morning is in lockstep with the message from Secretary

of State Anthony Blinken.

There is no deadline on our work to help any remaining American citizens who decide

they want to leave to do so, along with the many Afghans who have stood by us over these

many years.

The message that there is no deadline conflicts with President Biden's announcement of an August 31st deadline.

So how did we get here?

Would this have happened under President Trump?

What happens after we hit Biden's deadline?

And what could we have done to avoid this chaos? Our guest today is a veteran

of the Afghanistan War. Luke Coffey directs Heritage's Allison Center for Foreign Policy,

and today, he explains. Hi, I'm Virginia Allen.

I want to tell you all about an awesome Heritage Foundation resource called the Index of Economic Freedom.

The Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom ranks nearly every nation in the world according to its level of economic freedom. Whether for personal,

professional use, or for school research, the index is a wealth of information. You can learn why it's

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