For me the key phrase is one I read in that interview years ago:

"B: What is more important in world history? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some agitated Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the cold war?"

The attitude of, "so what if an entire country is destroyed if it brings us closer to our goal. Let's keep in mind that when Brzezinski (father of Mika from "Morning Joe" - what a small world!) and co. invaded Afghanistan to goad Russia in, they did not know that it would lead to the end of the USSR.

1980s Afghanistan could have ended like Korea, Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia, where the country was destroyed and the USSR / China went on.

Note that this EXACT same dynamic is what is in force in Ukraine, and starting in Taiwan. Regardless of who wins in Ukraine, that country is destroyed. The same will happen to Taiwan if fighting starts there.

The Zbigniew Brzezinskis of the world don't care what happens to the people dying in those countries, just that American hegemony prevails.

I'm reminded of bloodthirsty Madalaine Albright saying 500,000 Iraqi children starving to death was a price worth paying. No big deal for her, she is not the one starving.

Kabul Afghanistan in the 70s was a cosmopolitan city like many across Europe. For 40+ years now, going on two full generations, the country is destroyed. Who in Kabul gives a shit about world history when their country has been a war zone for 43 years?