INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS & SECURITY
HKS faculty tackle the tough questions surrounding Afghanistan’s recent past and its murky future
HKS Dean Doug Elmendorf and chief of staff Sarah Wald wrapped up a series of “Dean’s Discussions” on Afghanistan this month with two events that examined the long, costly U.S. intervention and the country’s uncertain future, following an initial event on the topic in October. The second Dean’s Discussion of the semester featured faculty members Ricardo Hausmann, Zoe Marks, and Asim Khawaja exploring Afghanistan's complicated future following the end of the U.S. military presence. The panelists investigated the complex relationship between military spending and economic aid, the chances for further internal military conflict under Taliban rule, and the Afghan people’s historic ability to persevere through war and upheaval. For the final Dean’s Discussion, faculty members Graham Allison, Stephen Walt, and Kathryn Sikkink discussed fundamental flaws with the popular narrative that the rapid U.S. military departure from Afghanistan damaged American credibility abroad, saying it was the 20-year military intervention itself—not its frenetic last few weeks—that was the true problem. Walt argued, “we should support human rights, we should support democracy, but we should not be using the 82nd Airborne and drones to try and do it.” |