Never Say Never: Learning Lessons from Afghanistan Reviews – Afghanistan – ReliefWeb
By Tina Blohm, Philipp Rotmann, Florian Weigand
In this study, we undertake a review of reviews: we look at the processes and content of the most substantive reviews on the international intervention in Afghanistan conducted by various countries and international organizations carried out to date, with a view to learning from how others have tried to learn. We look at processes (in terms of the format and organization of each review, including its independence, membership, mandate, access to information, and budget) and at content (in terms of its main findings and recommendations).
We have also sought to examine the implementation of lessons, looking as far as possible at whether the lessons identified have actually been learned. Finally, we ask whether we can learn together. If Afghanistan has been a massive joint international endeavor, are there signs that different actors have jointly learned from it?
One of the most fundamental lessons to emerge from the reviews we examined is the warning we have used as the title of this report: Never say never, as former US diplomat Laurel Miller quotes the 1983 James Bond film, is a stark counterpoint to the common reading that the era of massive intervention is over and that most of the challenges faced in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021 are irrelevant for the future.
That would be a dangerous conclusion. First, there is the moral debt to the victims and casualties of the war to at least learn from the costly policy mistakes that were made. Then, there is the historical reason: we have seen the same story unfold over and over again. Some government will again find itself embroiled in a complex state-building or counterinsurgency project. Furthermore, in Ukraine, Syria, coastal West Africa and elsewhere, many national, regional and global actors are using the same bureaucracies, the same budgets, the same administrative systems, and only slightly adapted strategies and tactics.
There is no doubt that some learning has taken place, but many hard nuts have not been cracked and results remain mixed. In order to learn faster, more deeply, and jointly, this study identifies key lessons in terms of objectives and strategies, interaction with an (il)legitimate government, knowledge use, and coordination.
This study was funded by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and jointly conducted with the Centre on Armed Groups in Geneva and the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin.
Read the original here:
Never Say Never: Learning Lessons from Afghanistan Reviews - Afghanistan - ReliefWeb
- At least 50 dead after flash flooding in northern Afghanistan - The Guardian - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Flash floods kill more than 300 people in northern Afghanistan - NPR - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Death toll from Afghanistan's floods rises to 160: Officials - theSun - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Why Counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan Still Matters - United States Institute of Peace - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- At least 50 people dead after flash floods in Afghanistan - The Associated Press - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Flash floods kill more than 300 people in northern Afghanistan after heavy rains, UN says - ABC News - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- IRC: At least 250 lives lost in major flooding in Afghanistan; thousands of families cut off from essential services - International Rescue Committee - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Flash floods kill more than 300 people in northern Afghanistan after heavy rains, UN says - The Bakersfield Californian - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- The Taliban warn journalists and experts against cooperating with Afghanistan International TV - The Associated Press - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Afghanistan's 'Deadliest' Flash Flood:Hundreds of Houses Wiped Out Within Seconds in Harrowing Video - The Daily Gazette - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Flash floods kill scores of people in northern Afghanistan video - The Guardian - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- More than 300 dead in Afghanistan flash floods: WFP - The Caledonian-Record - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- More than 300 dead in Afghanistan flash floods: WFP - The Elkhart Truth - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- At least 150 killed in Afghanistan flash flooding Public Radio of Armenia - Public Radio of Armenia Official Web site - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Russia's Growing Ties With Afghanistan Are More Symbolism Than Substance - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- More than 300 people killed in Afghanistan as flash floods devastate region - The Irish Times - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Death toll from floods in Afghanistan increases to over 200 - Mehr News Agency - English Version - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Horror moment catastrophic floods tear through towns & roads turn into rivers as rain swamps Afghanistan... - The US Sun - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Flash floods kill more than 300 in northern Afghanistan after heavy rain - BreakingNews.ie - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- The Islamic State's branch in Afghanistan is at war with the world - The Economist - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- Opinion: The Afghan refugee crisis is a migratory time bomb that may soon go off - The Globe and Mail - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- Don't Betray the Women of Afghanistan - Foreign Affairs Magazine - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- She secretly educated herself to escape Afghanistan. Now, she's working to help women still there - NBC News - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- Al Qaeda Is Backand Thrivingin Afghanistan - Foreign Policy - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- After Attack in Russia, Focus Turns to ISKP in Afghanistan and Central Asia - The Diplomat - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- The Islamic State's Afghanistan-based affiliate is emerging as a global menace - Defense One - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- Opinion | Republicans must aid Ukraine, or theyll fall, too - The Washington Post - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- Woman shares story of educating herself, escaping Afghanistan and helping others - NBC News - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- The U.S. Failure in the Afghanistan War Wasn't the Withdrawal | WPR - World Politics Review - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- What We Know About ISIS-K, the Group That Has Been Linked to the Moscow Attack - The New York Times - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- UK special forces are accused of killing civilians during the conflict in Afghanistan - KULR-TV - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- U of T visiting scholar pairs Afghanistan advocacy with a passion for physics - University of Toronto - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- They fled Afghanistan after Bidens withdrawal. Now in the US, they hope Trump wins - The Guardian - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- From Afghanistan to Moscow's Crocus City Hall, The Monocle Daily 2731 - Radio - Monocle - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- ISIS Affiliate Linked to Moscow Attack Has Global Ambitions - The New York Times - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- Robina Azizi Fled the Taliban. Now She's Saving Girls' Education in Afghanistan - The Daily Beast - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- Opinion: Afghanistan is becoming a safe haven for terrorists again - The Globe and Mail - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- Afghanistan secures third place in NSDF Futsal Championship - Amu TV - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- What is ISIS-K, the terror group allegedly responsible for the Moscow concert hall attack? - POLITICO Europe - March 28th, 2024 [March 28th, 2024]
- Taliban holds public execution for 2 men, who are killed by gunfire in a stadium as thousands watch - ABC News - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- The Political Economy of Climate Governance in Afghanistan: An Analysis of the Context and Challenges - Middle East Institute - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- Kentucky congressman calls for release of American detained by Taliban for more than 500 days - WLKY Louisville - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- The Taliban have to be in the room for any meaningful talks on Afghanistan's future - The National - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- The Taliban Refuses to Come the U.N. Conference on Afghanistan - The New York Times - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- Taliban refuses to join U.N.-sponsored meeting on Afghanistan - NBC News - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- Drifting With Purpose: Sports Car Enthusiasts Rally In Afghanistan - Barron's - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- Former Ambassador Testifies on U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan - C-SPAN - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- More than $400 million needed for western Afghanistan to recover from October earthquake, UN says - The Associated Press - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- Drastic erosion of women's rights in Afghanistan continues - UN News - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- UNHCR Regional Bureau for Asia and Pacific (RBAP): External Update: Afghanistan Situation #32, As of 1 February ... - ReliefWeb - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Clash: How the Taliban's Transnational Ambitions Threaten Pakistan - Foreign Policy - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- Some Taliban fighters find classes, cars and city life in Kabul enticing - The Washington Post - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- Biden privately defiant over chaotic 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, book says - The Guardian - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- Drifting with purpose: sports car enthusiasts rally in Afghanistan - The Mountaineer - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- UN Doha Conference on Afghanistan Fails to Achieve Key Goals - The Diplomat - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- Drifting with purpose: sports car enthusiasts rally in Afghanistan - El Paso Inc. - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- Taliban Refuse to Attend UN Conference on Afghanistan - Voice of America - VOA News - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- UN Conference on Afghanistan Begins Without Taliban - Voice of America - VOA News - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- The Taliban carry out a double public execution at a stadium in southeastern Afghanistan - Bozeman Daily Chronicle - February 23rd, 2024 [February 23rd, 2024]
- The Talibans Plan to Rebuild and Legitimize al-Qaeda - Geopoliticalmonitor.com - November 28th, 2023 [November 28th, 2023]
- Pakistan army kill 8 militants during a raid along the border with Afghanistan - Arab News - November 28th, 2023 [November 28th, 2023]
- Afghanistan arrests four local employees of Germany government ... - JURIST - November 28th, 2023 [November 28th, 2023]
- The Afghanistan Crisis: MOSAIC is Your Chance to Make a Difference - BCBusiness - November 28th, 2023 [November 28th, 2023]
- Afghanistan to build 285 health centers nationwide | | news-journal ... - Longview News-Journal - November 28th, 2023 [November 28th, 2023]
- Afghanistan's Fate in the Balance: China and India's Quest for ... - South Asian Voices - November 28th, 2023 [November 28th, 2023]
- Press Release - Muslim Hands - November 28th, 2023 [November 28th, 2023]
- U.S. bombs left in Afghanistan are ending up in the hands of ... - KEYE TV CBS Austin - November 28th, 2023 [November 28th, 2023]
- Shaheen: UN Using Afghanistans Seat to Pressure Kabul - TOLOnews - November 28th, 2023 [November 28th, 2023]
- Karzai emphasizes necessity of girls' and boys' education for ... - The Khaama Press News Agency - November 28th, 2023 [November 28th, 2023]
- Nearly 5,000 women killed by relatives in Afghanistan in 2022: UN ... - The Khaama Press News Agency - November 28th, 2023 [November 28th, 2023]
- The Artistry of Nashenas Speaks to the Afghanistan He Had to Leave Behind - The New York Times - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- How We Made the Animated Documentary The Night Doctrine - ProPublica - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Hundreds of Airmen Will Receive New Medals for 2021 Afghanistan Evacuation - Military.com - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- The crisis in Afghanistan after series of devastating earthquakes - Mercy Corps - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Information Needed from Veterans of the War in Afghanistan - Morris County, NJ - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- SALUTE TO VETERANS: After Iraq and Afghanistan, Sherwood ... - Sherwood Gazette - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Pakistan: Everything Possible Done for Positive Relations With ... - TOLOnews - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Head of Programme-Afghanistan - Afghanistan - ReliefWeb - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Half a century of failed US adventuresHalf a century of failed US ... - University News: The University of Western Australia - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- World Cup qualification scenarios: New Zealand put Pakistan ... - Cricbuzz - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
Tags: