Dr. Thomas Barfield on State-Strengthening in Afghanistan 2001-2014
Channel: United States Institute of Peace
Date: 2015-03-20

On March 16-17, 2015, Chatham House, Stanford University, and the U.S. Institute of Peace convened a meeting at USIP’s Washington headquarters, drawing together representatives from government, military, academia, consulting firms, non-governmental organizations, and think-tanks to look back critically at 13 years of the international community’s experience in Afghanistan. 

The purpose of the Conference on State-Strengthening in Afghanistan 2001-2014: Learning from the Past to Inform the Future was to identify practical lessons for future support to Afghanistan, as it moves forward with a new government and a reduced international presence, as well as for other potential future interventions elsewhere in the world. 

Keynote speeches were made by Ambassador James Dobbins, Dr. Barnett Rubin, and Dr. Thomas Barfield, along with a moderated discussion with Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry and Dr. Ali Jalali. Additional summaries and assessments based on these and other panels during the conference will be published at a later date.