Air Power and International Security cover image

Air Power and International Security

12. Understanding the War in Afghanistan

Jul 11, 2022
34:48

In this episode, we hear from Dr Mike Martin about his work in Afghanistan and his research into the local experience of the conflict there. Mike spent time in Afghanistan as a Political Officer in the British Army, and as a Pashto speaker, he was brilliantly placed to understand the wider struggle going on in Afghanistan, as well as evaluate Britain's military strategy in the conflict.

Mike's first book, An Intimate War (2014), was based on numerous interviews with Helmandis caught up in the conflict. It shows us that Britain, and Western allies in general, grossly misunderstood the war that they were engaged in. Rather than a binary conflict between two sides (Western democracy vs the Taliban, which is how the west framed the conflict), war had been waging for decades previously and was being fought, not alone these ideological divides, but because of local struggles and personal vendettas. By overlooking this context, western military forces exacerbated the situation and employed strategies that were doomed to fail from the outset. 

This episode thus reminds us of how important it is to understand the war that is being fought. 

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode