Indeed, unforeseeable consequences were precisely what concerned Kennan when the United States charged into Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq two years later. After all, it was no coincidence that many of those the US was fighting in Afghanistan, including Osama bin Laden himself, had been associated with the Mujahedeen, the guerilla-style units of Muslim warriors whom US forces trained as insurgents during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation.
事实上，当美国2001年冲进阿富汗、两年后又冲进伊拉克时，凯南所担心的恰恰是不可预见的后果。毕竟，美国在阿富汗的很多对手，包括本·拉登本人都与1979-1989年苏联占领期间美军训练的叛乱分子穆斯林战斗游击队有着千丝万缕的联系并不是巧合。同样，20世纪80年代，美国曾武装萨达姆·侯赛因的伊拉克与伊朗进行战争。