Our place to talk – an independent website for supporters of the Liberal Democrat party in the UK.

The most-read independent website by and for Lib Dem supporters. Not paid for by trade unions or millionaires.

Advert

Tag Archives: nation building

An Afghanistan catastrophe, Part 1 (of 2)

By Paul Reynolds | Mon 23rd August 2021 - 3:23 pm

It is tempting for UK political figures unfamiliar with the wars in Afghanistan, to view recent events as a ‘surprise loss for the West’ that is ‘all the fault of President Biden’. Neither is true. I will attempt a summary.

The war was ‘lost’ many years ago. Talebs and other insurgents controlled a majority of the country after the first five years. By the end of 2009 ICOS (Western-funded) reported that the Talebs had a controlling presence in 97% of the country, and had de facto control of Districts representing almost two thirds of territory.

Certainly when I first arrived in 2008 the Talebs controlled the road from central Kabul and the Compound to the airport, requiring a dangerous circuitous route. Driving to Jalalabad or Kandahar, there were Taleb road blocks, some taking ‘fees’. The game was already over. Why?

Continue reading »

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged afghanistan | 3 Comments

Most Read

Op-eds

Ed Davey quizzed on EU, slavery reparations and Lib Dem relevance (Caron Lindsay)
Scottish Lib Dems defeat SNP on Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill (Caron Lindsay)
How housebuilding can tackle the cost of living crisis and boost growth (Rob Blackie)
The Independent View: Nobody falls in love with a manifesto (James Bradford)
Bridges Matter (Francis Chubb)

Advert

Recent Comments

Chloe
What the Trevelyan family do with their own money is entirely upto them as private individuals. When it comes to taxpayer's money , then govts should give a sin...
Slamdac
I think it is right for all sensible political parties to rule out reparations. I don't see it ever being politically viable to ask the electorate of 2026 to p...
Hywel
"As a point of info, Flood Re only covers homes built before 1 Jan 2009." Well I learnt something new today! My (former) house (indeed probably all the at r...
Simon McGrath
“ If you have done something wrong, I have no problem in apologising for it. That’s what normal people expect to do“ Ed is right of course. But there ...
Simon Robinson
As a point of info, Flood Re only covers homes built before 1 Jan 2009. That's a very sensible restriction to avoid incentivising building more inadequately pro...