Salute!
I have refrained from jumping into this political discussion, except for my personal life when my government ordered me to "help" another group of folks from being overcome by the Reds, aka Commies.
In short, it didn't work. What worked was what worked in Europe and Japan after WW2. Occupation. Military police at every corner. Protect the local pols so they could figure out a way to satisfy the victors - us! And then leave the SOB's to do what they want.
I spent years in SEA, and got to know the locals that were not in their military, but basic everyday folks. They simply wanted to live their lives growing stuff, trading stuff, performing services and so forth. No ideology, but basic freedoms to live their lives as our U.S. founders envisioned.
The insurgents in SEA were also very different from what faced us in the 'stan or closeby.
Those folks were nothing like what our troops have had to deal with in the 'stan. The fanatic Muslims are nothing like what we dealt with in Vietnam or the Brits did in the Malay penisnula or even the Phillipine stuff way back.
In short, using the military to capture the hearts and minds of the local just doesn't work, and never will. The indigenous folks must want a certain way of life and be willing to die to maintain that. If they want to be wards of the state and give up their individual freedoms, then so be it.
Gums opines...