Table of Contents
Foreword Rory Stewart xi
Preface and Acknowledgements xix
About the Authors xxiii
Introduction: The New Sympathisers 1
1 An Evolving Campaign 49
Confusion, Compression and Echoes of the Past 72
A Question of Politics 80
2 Echoes of Campaigns Past 85
Déjà vu All Over Again? 92
Trying Everything 99
Similarities 103
Differences 105
Five Common Lessons 109
3 Assessing Four Failures 123
The Failure of Politics 124
The Failure of Policy on Pakistan 134
The Corruption of Recovery 151
The Failure of Economic Development 166
4 Endgame 193
Slow Disintegration after 2015 196
The Selection-Destruction Cycle 202
The Collapse of2021 209
Why the Afghan Military Collapsed 216
Why the Civil Government Collapsed 222
What Could Have Been Done Differently? 225
5 The Ball Keeps Bouncing 235
Assessing the Wider Cost and Implications 243
From Afghanistan to Africa? 248
Reinforcing Success, Rewarding Failure? 255
Changing Outside Strategy 259
All Peace Missions are Local? 265
Conclusion: The Ledger-Lessons from Failure in Afghanistan 275
All for Nothing? 304
Notes 313
Index 331