Much has been made of how the Taliban's victory will inspire jihadists in the Sahel. Equally important is for governments to reflect on the lessons from the Afghan intervention for their own strategies.
Having worked on both issues, here are my own personal reflections while recognising they have wider relevance to other crises.
Security solutions cannot fix fundamentally political problems.
One reason the intervention in Afghanistan failed, was the overwhelming focus on ...
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Already a member? Login hereCat Evans was formerly the UK ambassador to Mali and Niger from 2018-2020 and worked on Afghanistan from 2003-4 and 2009-12 as part of her UK government career. She is now director of European operations and African outreach at Independent Diplomat.
Cat Evans was formerly the UK ambassador to Mali and Niger from 2018-2020 and worked on Afghanistan from 2003-4 and 2009-12 as part of her UK government career. She is now director of European operations and African outreach at Independent Diplomat.