Professor David Anderson discusses what history can teach the West about exiting Afghanistan

David Anderson was interviewed on BBC Radio 4s The World Tonight over Christmas on the Coalitions withdrawal from Afghanistan, and whether any parallels could be made with previous withdrawals from the region.

David commented that the current situation in Afghanistan is not historically unique, and that many problems were encountered by British forces in colonial times, such as the need to deal with authoritarian regimes and militia in order to effectively combat insurgency forces. He also added that, although comparisons with similar historical events can be useful, there is a danger of basing strategy on the wrong interpretation of history.

The full interview can be heard here (around 35 mins in on the iPlayer clock).