Is There A Way Out Of Afghanistan?

Trump is frustrated with the lack of options.

On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."
On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."
On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."

President Donald Trump and his national security team will meet at Camp David Friday to discuss a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan. But sixteen years into America’s longest war, the president is unlikely to find any shiny new options on the table. Among the proposals is Erik Prince’s plan to send private contractors. Prince, a founder of private military company Blackwater USA, is shopping his proposal to embed thousands of contractors with Afghan forces and appoint a “viceroy” to oversee both military and diplomatic efforts.

President Donald Trump and his national security team will meet at Camp David Friday to discuss a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan. But sixteen years into America’s longest war, the president is unlikely to find any shiny new options on the table. Among the proposals is Erik Prince’s plan to send private contractors. Prince, a founder of private military company Blackwater USA, is shopping his proposal to embed thousands of contractors with Afghan forces and appoint a “viceroy” to oversee both military and diplomatic efforts.

On this week’s second episode of The E.R., FP’s executive editor for news Sharon Weinberger is joined by former special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan James Dobbins and FP’s Dan De Luce to discuss the path forward in Afghanistan.

Ambassador James Dobbins is a senior fellow and distinguished chair in diplomacy and security at the RAND Corporation. He has held State Department and White House posts including assistant secretary of state for Europe, special assistant to the president for the Western Hemisphere, special adviser to the president, secretary of state for the Balkans, and ambassador to the European Community. In 2013 he returned to the State Department to become the Obama administration’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Dobbins is author of the memoir, Foreign Service: Five Decades on the Frontlines of American Diplomacy and co-author of Rolling Back the Islamic State. Follow him on Twitter: @Jim_Dobbins.

Dan De Luce is FP’s chief national security correspondent. Follow him on Twitter: @dandeluce.

Sharon Weinberger is FP’s executive editor for news. She is the author of The Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the WorldFollow her on Twitter: @weinbergersa.

Tune in, now three times a week, to FP’s The E.R.

Subscribe to The E.R. and Global Thinkers podcasts on iTunes

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.