In an article on War on the Rocks, Dominic Tierney argues that an American troop withdrawal does not have to spell the end of the Afghan government. Tierney argues that continued U.S. financial aid may be enough for the Afghan government to hold off the advance of the Taliban, as happened when the Soviets withdrew […]
Afghanistan
IW Roundup — May 17, 2021
This Week in Irregular Warfare Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City kill nearly 200; Western intelligence agencies seek new Afghan allies; U.S. targets domestic extremism with new efforts; New Zealand calls for “ethical algorithms” to counter online radicalization; and more… Welcome to the latest installment of The Irregular Warrior’s news digest on Irregular Warfare and Special […]
IW Roundup — April 19, 2021
This Week in Irregular Warfare Secretary of State makes unannounced visit to Afghanistan; China concerned over U.S. withdrawal; U.S. presses regional actors to cooperate in Afghan peace process; Sri Lanka & Pakistan ban political organizations; and more… Welcome to the latest installment of The Irregular Warrior’s news digest on Irregular Warfare and Special Operations. We […]
Biden will withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan — But this is not the end of the war
Biden will withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021 President Biden will announce his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan over the coming months. This withdrawal deadline will mark the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon and the Twin Towers in New York. While this would extend […]
IW Roundup — April 12, 2021
This Week in Irregular Warfare Withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq; Multiple peace plans in Kabul; Saudi Arabia’s exit strategy from Yemen; Designation of White Supremacists as FTOs; and more… Welcome to the latest installment of The Irregular Warrior’s news digest on Irregular Warfare and Special Operations. We hope you’ll find this collection to be […]
IW Roundup — April 5, 2021
This Week in Irregular Warfare India supports the Afghan Peace Process; Polio workers killed in Afghanistan; TTP terrorists arrested in Pakistan; French airstrike hits wedding; The Islamic State claims responsibility in Palma attack; ASD(SO/LIC) and USSOCOM testify before SASC; and more… Welcome to the latest installment of The Irregular Warrior’s news digest on Irregular Warfare […]
Committing to Success in Afghanistan
It is foolish to claim that Afghanistan is going well, for us or for them. But there is still reason to hope, and the U.S. has important interests in seeing progress.
Barnett Rubin’s Theses on Peacemaking in Afghanistan: A Manifesto
Royalist and republican, Khalqi and Parchami, Soviet Union and the West, communist and Islamist, mujahid and Talib, Hanafi and takfiri, al Qaeda and America, warlord and technocrat, Pashtun and non-Pashtun, Islamic Emirate and Islamic State, KGB, ISI, and CIA – all have for decades carried on an uninterrupted struggle in Afghanistan. Attempts to end the war have but established new antagonisms, new conditions of conflict, new forms of warfare. The conflict generates these antagonisms rather than the reverse, forcing us to face the real origins of violence: Afghanistan’s relations to the state system from which it emerged. These theses delineate the ever-changing conflict’s constant causes, which any effort at peacemaking in Afghanistan must address.
Almost Diplomatic: EP05 – 16 years Later, 9/11 and it’s Implications
Join the Almost Diplomatic crew to discuss geopolitics, national security and nonsense over a couple beers. Episode Five has us discussing the implications and where we are as a country 16 years after the 9/11 attacks. Spoiler: We talk about Afghanistan, a lot.