Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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Benjamin D Hopkins

Benjamin D. Hopkins is a professor of history and international affairs at the George Washington University. He specializes in South Asian history, particularly that of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s Present Failure Lies in its Past Design — British and Afghan officials at the signing of the Treaty of Gandamak (Major Cavagnari second from left, Amir Yakub Khan in the center), May 1879. Photo by John Burke, public domain, British Library.

Current Analysis

Afghanistan’s Present Failure Lies in its Past Design

Providing a vital historical perspective, Benjamin Hopkins explains how the failure of the American project in Afghanistan had little to do with Afghan corruption or lack of national unity as understood in Washington. While today the problems of the Afghan state—its dependence on foreign aid, lack o

Benjamin D Hopkins • 13 min read