Transcript
RORY STEWART: I think we face a serious challenge in Afghanistan. The first challenge is to recognize our own impotence, the limits of our knowledge, the limits of our power; to recognize perhaps that it is unlikely, at least on the basis of the textbooks so far produced, that we have the wherewithal to win a counter-insurgency strategy against the Taliban. It’s unlikely that we have the commitment, the will, or the resources to pursue such a 25-year policy.
It’s also extremely unlikely that we’re going to make much progress in relation to civil society, governments or the rule of law or at least we haven’t made much progress on those things over the last five years.
This is not, however, a council of despair. There are many things that the international community can do and does well, and I think we should focus on those things.
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