Countless volumes will be written about the last few weeks of the U.S.-led military mission in Afghanistan and the evacuation crisis that engulfed it. We Firstly, we must remember that ‘a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire’ was designated as an ‘item on the agenda of the intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations’. Political inertia can be quite powerful, and an element of political groupthink might have plagued the decision-making process across the coalition. Given the widespread low sentiment (on the ground and online) and defections across the country, intelligence projections should have been questioned and the evacuation plans gone into overdrive. Continue reading
in mid-April the withdrawal of American troops from the country by September 11th, 2021, there has been a debate about the role security contractors will play in the future of the country. But we can only venture to speculate alternative scenarios about the future of Afghanistan. Continue reading
The WWIII imagined by David Cameron could only happen with the UK as a member of NATO, in or out of the European Union. As for Boris Johnson’s fears of Turkey ever joining the EU, he needs to remember that Turkey is part of NATO. Likewise, the wider debate on security has been uncomfortably hollow. All things remaining equal, perhaps it is better for you to follow your heart when voting. If state security was in your mind when casting your vote, we hope you found this post useful. Continue reading