oday is the 21anniversary of the September 11 attacks and, by extension, the Global War on Terror. It would be easy to let the anniversary go unmarked with so much happening around the world, but that would be a mistake. There are a lot of lessons that we must learn—no matter how bitter. Like Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko told us in our November 2021 special edition on Afghanistan (read it for free!), at the time of his original writing, the U.S. military and USAID were active in Mali, Burkina Faso, Somalia, and Yemen—today that would include Ukraine as well.
Simply from a perspective of intervention and reconstruction, we continue to be involved in projects which have echoes of the Afghan experience. As the Taliban’s recapture of Afghanistan a little over a year ago shows, success is hardly guaranteed.
Learning these lessons is a strategic imperative as well as an ethical one. We must do better. If we are to do better, we cannot simply “let it go” and focus on the next crisis. In the interest of keeping the lessons and insights of Afghanistan in our memories, here are some articles to remind us of the lessons that we think are important.
Needed: A Whole-of-Government Approach That Actually Works
From our special edition on Afghanistan, SIGAR John Sopko reflected on institutional learnings garnered from two decades of experience in the country. A whole of government approach is needed for both intervention and reconstruction. We can learn a lot about what to do right in the future based on what we did wrong over the course of presidential administrations.
Did the Afghan Failure Lead to the Ukraine War?
Writing on the one-year anniversary of Kabul’s fall to the Taliban, former Swedish PM Carl Bildt argued that U.S. failings in strategic patience could have directly led to the Ukraine war.
The Legacy of Al-Qa’ida and Usama bin Laden from His Own Papers
Nelly Lahoud's "The Bin Laden Papers" effectively demonstrates how much we still have to learn about Usama bin Laden (UBL). Among the surprises learned from UBL's own writings is UBL's diminished influence in al-Qa'ida post-9/11. As Joshua Huminiski noted, UBL was relegated to a franchise manager role.
Afghan Women and Men See Women Treated Worse After Taliban
Gallup was able to continue conducting polling in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. One finding? In 2021, for the first time, both men and women in Afghanistan agreed that women in their country are not treated with respect and dignity.
The Afghanistan Crisis Threatens the Stability of China, Russia
Beyond being a dramatic humanitarian crisis, the situation in Afghanistan is a regional security dilemma. There are major geopolitical implications for the stability of China and Russia, wrote CSPC Senior Fellow Ethan Brown.
Election Fraud Undermined Afghanistan’s Fledgling Democracy
Elections held in Afghanistan from 2005-2018 were haunted by corruption—undermining already tenuous Afghan support for a democratic process which was failing to produce effective governance, wrote Mustafa Aryan, a former director at Afghanistan's High Council of National Reconciliation.
U.S.-Pakistan Relations: Another Groundhog Day?
With the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, U.S.-Pakistan relations are dangerously strained. Yet it remains in both countries' best interests to re-engage as regional security will suffer if they fail to do so, wrote Truman National Security Project Fellow Alexia D'Arco.
Acknowledging Our Failures so we Can Move Forward
Much has been made of the unpreparedness of the Afghan National Security Forces when the U.S. left Afghanistan. Less has been said of the Afghan National Police, but Western attempts to develop Afghanistan's law enforcement was severely flawed from the start, wrote Truman Project National Security Fellow Angelic Young.
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Forgetting is Failing - Afghanistan and 9/11 Matter as Much as Ever
Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo by Mohammad Husaini via Unsplash.
September 11, 2022
If we are to do better, we cannot forget Afghanistan and the events of 9/11. In the interest of keeping the lessons and insights of Afghanistan in our memories, here are some articles to remind us of the lessons that we think are important.
T
oday is the 21anniversary of the September 11 attacks and, by extension, the Global War on Terror. It would be easy to let the anniversary go unmarked with so much happening around the world, but that would be a mistake. There are a lot of lessons that we must learn—no matter how bitter. Like Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko told us in our November 2021 special edition on Afghanistan (read it for free!), at the time of his original writing, the U.S. military and USAID were active in Mali, Burkina Faso, Somalia, and Yemen—today that would include Ukraine as well.
Simply from a perspective of intervention and reconstruction, we continue to be involved in projects which have echoes of the Afghan experience. As the Taliban’s recapture of Afghanistan a little over a year ago shows, success is hardly guaranteed.
Learning these lessons is a strategic imperative as well as an ethical one. We must do better. If we are to do better, we cannot simply “let it go” and focus on the next crisis. In the interest of keeping the lessons and insights of Afghanistan in our memories, here are some articles to remind us of the lessons that we think are important.
Needed: A Whole-of-Government Approach That Actually Works
From our special edition on Afghanistan, SIGAR John Sopko reflected on institutional learnings garnered from two decades of experience in the country. A whole of government approach is needed for both intervention and reconstruction. We can learn a lot about what to do right in the future based on what we did wrong over the course of presidential administrations.
Did the Afghan Failure Lead to the Ukraine War?
Writing on the one-year anniversary of Kabul’s fall to the Taliban, former Swedish PM Carl Bildt argued that U.S. failings in strategic patience could have directly led to the Ukraine war.
The Legacy of Al-Qa’ida and Usama bin Laden from His Own Papers
Nelly Lahoud's "The Bin Laden Papers" effectively demonstrates how much we still have to learn about Usama bin Laden (UBL). Among the surprises learned from UBL's own writings is UBL's diminished influence in al-Qa'ida post-9/11. As Joshua Huminiski noted, UBL was relegated to a franchise manager role.
Afghan Women and Men See Women Treated Worse After Taliban
Gallup was able to continue conducting polling in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. One finding? In 2021, for the first time, both men and women in Afghanistan agreed that women in their country are not treated with respect and dignity.
The Afghanistan Crisis Threatens the Stability of China, Russia
Beyond being a dramatic humanitarian crisis, the situation in Afghanistan is a regional security dilemma. There are major geopolitical implications for the stability of China and Russia, wrote CSPC Senior Fellow Ethan Brown.
Election Fraud Undermined Afghanistan’s Fledgling Democracy
Elections held in Afghanistan from 2005-2018 were haunted by corruption—undermining already tenuous Afghan support for a democratic process which was failing to produce effective governance, wrote Mustafa Aryan, a former director at Afghanistan's High Council of National Reconciliation.
U.S.-Pakistan Relations: Another Groundhog Day?
With the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, U.S.-Pakistan relations are dangerously strained. Yet it remains in both countries' best interests to re-engage as regional security will suffer if they fail to do so, wrote Truman National Security Project Fellow Alexia D'Arco.
Acknowledging Our Failures so we Can Move Forward
Much has been made of the unpreparedness of the Afghan National Security Forces when the U.S. left Afghanistan. Less has been said of the Afghan National Police, but Western attempts to develop Afghanistan's law enforcement was severely flawed from the start, wrote Truman Project National Security Fellow Angelic Young.
