The fall of the Afghan government and what it means for Europe
ECFR’s policy experts examine what the Taliban takeover means for countries and regions around the world: Europe, the US, the Middle East, Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and the Sahel
Afghanistan
Featured
Hidden women: How European countries can help protect Afghan women’s rights
European countries need to look for the partners they made over the last 20 years and together redraw an Afghan-led strategy to protect women’s rights
Europe’s post-Afghanistan to-do list
The EU’s approach to foreign policy and economic policy needs to account for the fact that, globally, the space between the two areas is increasingly narrow
Autonomous in Afghanistan: How the Europeans could have stayed after US withdrawal
A European force that remained even as the Americans left could have provided a powerful psychological boost to Afghan forces – and such an operation should have been well within European capabilities
The fall of the Afghan government and what it means for Europe
How will the Western withdrawal impact on the state of European defence and military capabilities?
The Afghan tragedy and the age of unpeace
The end of the US-led “forever war” in Afghanistan will not bring peace, because the methods that countries use to attack each other have changed. The world has entered a new age of perpetual competition among powerful states
Why Afghanistan was not a failure of European strategic autonomy
Hand-wringing over Europe’s supposed failure to step up in Afghanistan ignores the fact that Europeans were principally there to support the US
The capture of Kabul: What the Taliban takeover will mean for Iran’s economy
Iran was more economically dependent on Afghanistan than many people realise. The change of regime will impact on Tehran in four main ways
Europe after Afghanistan: “We seem fragile, susceptible to blackmail, and lost”
Western countries’ communications on Afghanistan have been a mess since the fall of Kabul, says Omid Nouripour. The country is set to face three types of wars – with the West as mere onlookers
The fall of the Afghan government and what it means for Europe
ECFR’s policy experts examine what the Taliban takeover means for countries and regions around the world: Europe, the US, the Middle East, Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and the Sahel
Afghanistan: How it could have been different
Nothing was inevitable about the Taliban reconquering of Afghanistan. But in the end the US lost what minimal strategic patience it had
Publications
The fall of the Afghan government and what it means for Europe
ECFR’s policy experts examine what the Taliban takeover means for countries and regions around the world: Europe, the US, the Middle East, Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and the Sahel
Fear and loathing on the New Silk Road: Chinese security in Afghanistan and beyond
China’s priorities are shifting towards the containment of security threats in its region, and Europe should capitalise on this trend
Eternally displaced: Afghanistan’s refugee crisis and what it means for Europe
To stem the influx of Afghan refugees, Europe needs to turn to Asian partners, working not only with Kabul but with its neighbours
Fact sheet on NATO deployments in Afghanistan
Read our Fact Sheet comparing NATO troop deployment figures in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Europe’s Forgotten War
Daniel Korski argues that the international coalition should overhaul their Afghanistan strategy and strike a ‘grand bargain’ to stabilise the war-torn country
Articles
Hidden women: How European countries can help protect Afghan women’s rights
European countries need to look for the partners they made over the last 20 years and together redraw an Afghan-led strategy to protect women’s rights
Europe’s post-Afghanistan to-do list
The EU’s approach to foreign policy and economic policy needs to account for the fact that, globally, the space between the two areas is increasingly narrow
Autonomous in Afghanistan: How the Europeans could have stayed after US withdrawal
A European force that remained even as the Americans left could have provided a powerful psychological boost to Afghan forces – and such an operation should have been well within European capabilities
The Afghan tragedy and the age of unpeace
The end of the US-led “forever war” in Afghanistan will not bring peace, because the methods that countries use to attack each other have changed. The world has entered a new age of perpetual competition among powerful states
Why Afghanistan was not a failure of European strategic autonomy
Hand-wringing over Europe’s supposed failure to step up in Afghanistan ignores the fact that Europeans were principally there to support the US
The capture of Kabul: What the Taliban takeover will mean for Iran’s economy
Iran was more economically dependent on Afghanistan than many people realise. The change of regime will impact on Tehran in four main ways
Europe after Afghanistan: “We seem fragile, susceptible to blackmail, and lost”
Western countries’ communications on Afghanistan have been a mess since the fall of Kabul, says Omid Nouripour. The country is set to face three types of wars – with the West as mere onlookers
Afghanistan: How it could have been different
Nothing was inevitable about the Taliban reconquering of Afghanistan. But in the end the US lost what minimal strategic patience it had
Germany and Afghanistan: Time to ditch bad governments, not good governance
After Afghanistan, countries such as Germany should reconsider their presence in Mali, unless the ruling class commits to good governance and democratic principles
Three lessons for Europe from the fall of Afghanistan
Europe needs to take a hard look at what worked and what did not work in Afghanistan. Only then can it gradually and realistically build up its own capacities, rather than aim for grandiose schemes that lack public support
Podcasts
The fall of the Afghan government and what it means for Europe
How will the Western withdrawal impact on the state of European defence and military capabilities?
In the media
We cannot dismiss that Isis-K is planning an attack in Europe. The group has moved from local to global projection and has grown in its ability to conduct attacks
India would of course prefer a more active US role […] The two sides will continue to coordinate on intelligence and other matters related to militancy
Afghanistan, China, Aukus – at the EU Summit today, heads of state and government will discuss their autonomy in these matters. In an interview with Spiegel, Ulrike Franke explains why this is also important for Germany
By housing the talibans and facilitating peace negociations, Qatar has placed itself as an essential interlocutor to reach the new leaders of the country.
Whether the wall works or not is irrelevant. Erdogan has to look tough on migration. Refugees have become a convenient scapegoat for the economic downturn
Asli Aydintasbas shares her opinion on the Turkish wall built to keep out Afghan refugees