I suspect our brains are not capable of comprehending the scale of spaces/places that we are unfamiliar with. Afghanistan is about the size of California, both in area and population. How would another country go about being an occupying force in California, even without any very organized resistance? How do you maintain influence, let alone order, from San Diego to Chico and everything in between? What exactly do 5,000 troops do? 50,000?
