Afghanistan
Ahmad Shah Massoud was Afghanistan’s best hope
Ahmed Shah Massoud was described as ‘the Afghan who won the Cold War’. While famous in France (he was educated…
Is it time to defund the world’s policeman?
It gets lost in the many creative purposes successive American administrations invented to justify remaining in Afghanistan, but the primary…
The 9/11 anniversary marks a painful moment for squaddies
The sweet salvation of the summer recess over, we returned to Sandhurst for our final term of officer training. It was…
How the fight against terror in Afghanistan will change
In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the West entered a new age: it was the era of the ‘shadow…
The West is being played by the Taliban
There have been some curious juxtapositions in Afghanistan this week. On the one hand, the under-19 Afghan cricket team was…
Portrait of the week: Britain leaves Afghanistan, hurricane hits New Orleans and Gove goes clubbing
Home Britain brought its last troops home from Afghanistan, having flown out more than 15,000 people since 14 August; but…
Letters: The agony of the forgotten Australians
A glimmer of hope Sir: After the debacle of the West’s shambolic withdrawal from Afghanistan, it was comforting to read…
Pet project: how many dogs and cats are there in Britain?
Escape velocity The evacuation of Afghanistan was likened to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. What were the…
‘Britain is not a superpower’: an interview with Ben Wallace
The Defence Secretary on Afghanistan and the questions facing the West
Is the world we value falling apart?
From time to time, people get worried and ask one another: ‘Is the world falling apart?’ I imagine this is…
America, the Taliban and a farewell to arms
It was quite the handover at Kabul airport this week. The last American troops to exit Afghanistan reportedly left facing…
The boys who never grow up: Sad Little Men, by Richard Beard, reviewed
I can’t recall reading an angrier book than this. Richard Beard has written what I hope for his sake is…
The shameful evacuation of pets from Afghanistan
Two stories on the Afghan evacuation today combine to leave me full of bewildered rage. The first, from the Times:…
The descent of Afghanistan
The bomb attacks at Kabul airport were what US and allied commanders overseeing the mass evacuation had most feared. In…
How will Europe respond to a wave of Afghan refugees?
On Tuesday, Franek Sterczewski made a break for the border. Wearing a long trench coat and carrying a blue plastic…
What will happen to those left in Kabul?
The Afghan evacuation is feared to be entering its final hours, and with it a new desperation is building among…
Fortress Europe is dreading the Afghan migrant crisis
Fortress Europe is pulling up the drawbridge. The takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban is likely to being about a…
Iran is an immediate winner of the Taliban takeover
A staple of observing politics is watching rhetoric curdle into reality. Operation Enduring Freedom, thought up and slapped together in…
Pakistan’s masochistic support for the Taliban
Taliban flags are already flying in Islamabad. Among those hoisting the white flag of the group is the women’s madrassa…
Joe Biden must go
Joe Biden is unfit to be President of the United States. It was obvious when he was running for office…
China’s Great Game in Afghanistan
China greeted America’s chaotic retreat from Afghanistan and the Taliban seizure of power with a mixture of glee and trepidation.…
A childhood in old Kabul
They say the city you most fondly remember is the one you grew up in. In my case that’s Kabul.…
Panjshir valley and the last resistance to the Taliban
The Panjshir valley, about three hours’ drive north of Kabul, has a mythical hold on the Afghan imagination. It is…
Defence contractors were the real winners in Afghanistan
The fall of Kabul, like the fall of Saigon, will be taught in classrooms for decades to come. But the…
Afghanistan and the end of the American hegemony
We used to sneer at the way the Russians were chased out of Afghanistan by a ragtag of mujaheddin armed…
