Bestselling author, Emmy-winning journalist, recovering political advisor. Formerly @UN, @CrisisGroup etc.
Joined February 2010
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A brutal regime falls. But there’s a problem: the UN and several countries say the victorious rebels are terrorists. What to do? There’s no playbook for Islamist insurgents faced with the challenges of running a country. But there is a precedent, in Afghanistan. 1/
Graeme Smith retweeted
Amazing animated globe by @tulparmaps. Have a look at the poorer regions. Lots of progress was achieved in the last 30 years!
Graeme Smith retweeted
In the years since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the country has practically vanished from American foreign policy discussion. On a new episode of “The Foreign Affairs Interview,” Laurel Miller and @smithkabul discuss the state of Afghanistan today:
foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/…
Graeme Smith retweeted
Listen to the latest episode of “The Foreign Affairs Interview,” featuring Laurel Miller and @smithkabul in conversation with editor @dankurtzphelan:
foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/…
Interesting: "...the Shahed-136 must be cheaper to produce than has been reported." Nice work @yarbatman
Fascinating piece in @phenomenalworld by @yarbatman on the actual production costs of the Shahed-136:
Graeme Smith retweeted
The international campaign aimed at convincing the Taliban to relax their stringent controls on women’s lives has so far proven a resounding failure. But when it comes to women’s ability to work in Afghanistan, there is a chink of light. crisisgroup.org/asia-pacific…
This article is correct, sadly.
@W_Lacher and Yvan Guichaoua for @DissentMag dissentmagazine.org/article/…
Graeme Smith retweeted
Trachtenberg drops the big one:
2) Articles from the issue include:
“The Rules-Based International Order: A Historical Analysis,” by Marc Trachtenberg
doi.org/10.1162/ISEC.a.11
This article is ungated thanks to @mitpress.
Graeme Smith retweeted
Countries imposing sanctions on Afghanistan should rethink why those penalties are inflicted and offer ways of ending economic punishment. crisisgroup.org/asia-pacific…
Graeme Smith retweeted
There are reports that #Afghanistan and #Pakistan have agreed to ceasefire for 48 hours. This is a good step, if true. It provides a window for diplomacy.
This is my final report for Crisis Group, after years of work. It's a plea to allow Afghans to feed themselves, as foreign aid workers pack their bags and depart. crisisgroup.org/asia-pacific…
Graeme Smith retweeted
NEW REPORT | After the Aid Axe: Charting a Path to Self-Reliance in Afghanistan
Donors are slashing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan which could push millions into penury and increase the risks of instability. A new approach is needed.
crisisgroup.org/asia-pacific…
Graeme Smith retweeted
zenml.io/blog/llmops-in-prod… here's the link to the blog with all the LLMOps case study summaries
Graeme Smith retweeted
I wrote about the Biden administration's efforts to sanction Israeli settlers for @TCFdotorg. The program had some real successes, but in other ways, it backfired. 🧵1/5 tcf.org/content/commentary/T…
Sanctions relief for Syria: “Trump will need to work hard to follow through on his promise, but he should pull every lever in Washington to make it happen.” foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/02…
Graeme Smith retweeted
Not to miss MONDAY 5/19 12PM
What We Chose Not to See: @AdamNoahWho @QuincyInst talks w/ Pulitzer Prize Winner @mattaikins about how US created own conditions for failure in Afghanistan War. LINK below:
Billions of dollars are stuck in forgotten accounts as part of the legacy from Libya's civil war. New report by @DelaneySimon and @ClaudiaGazzini for @CrisisGroup
🚨NEW @CrisisGroup REPORT
Libya's $70 billion sovereign wealth fund has been under UN #sanctions since the revolt against Muammar al-Qadhafi in 2011. The sanctions remain in place more a decade after his death.🧵
crisisgroup.org/middle-east-… 1/
"A deeply restrictive government is in power and while Afghans very definitely do not need foreigners to tell them how to live, or lay out solutions for them, they do need a world that is engaged with them." The great @kathygannon offers some wisdom. kathygannon.substack.com/p/z…
Graeme Smith retweeted
“The Taliban are saying, ‘bring it on.’ They don’t want Pakistan to have leverage over them,” says @smithkabul.
But the returnees were “walking into a real humanitarian disaster and an economy that cannot grow fast enough” | on.ft.com/3FJBEZ7 via @humza_jilani
Graeme Smith retweeted
When a currency crunch led to falling imports of car parts from China, Iranian automakers stumbled upon an unexpected solution.
They started trading nuts for bolts.
I unpack the latest example of the (sometimes wacky) ways Iran adapts to sanctions:
bourseandbazaar.org/articles…
