TAG’s President Jack Devine and Regional Director Whitney Kassel draw upon their extensive experience working on Afghanistan issues to examine the lessons of the Soviet retreat from Afghanistan in the late 1980s and argue that these lessons remain relevant today. In this compelling article, Mr. Devine and Ms. Kassel note that the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2014 is likely to be followed by a civil war between a predominantly non-Pashtun security apparatus and Pakistan-backed Taliban forces. According to Mr. Devine and Ms. Kassel, we need to confront this reality while considering the lessons from the late 1980s. They argue that we have the chance to avoid the same mistakes of the past and for the sake of our security should provide continued economic and military support to the leadership in Kabul, obtain the support of Pakistan, and maintain a robust covert action and intelligence presence in the region.

You can read the full text of Mr. Devine and Ms. Kassel’s article here:

World Policy Journal: Fall 2013, “Afghanistan: Withdrawal Lessons”

You can also find an interactive timeline based on this article here.

Interactive Timeline, World Policy Journal: Fall 2013, “Afghanistan: Withdrawal Lessons”