Patrick Bury
Patrick writes on defence and foreign policy; he is a former captain in the Royal Irish regiment who has fought in Afghanistan, and is author of the upcoming Simon&Schuster book “Callsign Hades”.
Obama’s Afghan withdrawal timetable is a morale boost for our enemies
President Obama's timetabling of the forthcoming withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan has been described as playing into the hands of the Taliban. Retiring US Marine General James Conway yesterday acknowledged that the July 2011 timeframe had given fighters a ‘morale boost’.
Afghanistan: Get Serious or Get out
Unless there is a change in how it perceives the nature of warfare, the West will lose the war in Afghanistan, despite declaring victory, and spend the next 10 years in splendid isolation wondering what went wrong.
Afghanistan: Is Now the Time to Talk?
Former Captain in the Royal Irish Regiment, Patrick Bury, writes exclusively for Left Foot Forward on the way ahead in Afghanistan, and the options available for the coalition forces.
Did McChrystal want to go?
Despite all the hyperbole of generals overstepping their constitutional role, no one has asked how such a blatant mistake by one of the U.S’s top generals, Stanley McChrystal, came to pass.
Ethos and Leadership failed Paras on Bloody Sunday
The attributes that make for fine paratroopers do not make them best suited to complex situations, such as containing protestors.
Afghanistan: Future for UK troops remains uncertain & dangerous
The path ahead remains uncertain and dangerous for the brave British soldiers patrolling Helmand's dusty and IED strewn roads and alleyways.