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
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…
Graeme Smith retweeted
The Trump administration has terminated more than 5,300 grants & contracts managed by USAID worth over $27 billion, according to a document obtained by POLITICO
The document also shows that nearly 900 programs worth about $8.3 billion have been retained
politico.com/news/2025/03/26…
