Share

cover art for David Loyn: Engagement has failed, the West should support alternatives to the Taliban

Afghanistan with Roh Yakobi

David Loyn: Engagement has failed, the West should support alternatives to the Taliban

Ep. 12

David Loyn is a renowned British journalist and author who specialises in Afghanistan, with decades of experience in the country and the region as a BBC correspondent. He worked as an advisor to Ashraf Ghani's government for a year after leaving the BBC. In this interview, he shares his insights, analysis, and thoughts on the situation in the country and what should happen next.

David Loyn's books "The Long War: The Inside Story of America and Afghanistan Since 9/11" and "Butcher and Bolt: Two Hundred Years of Foreign Failure in Afghanistan" were published in 2021 and 2008 respectively. 

Send us a Text Message.

Support the Show.

Producer: Roh Yakobi
Music ©: Dawood Sarkhosh
Email: hello@rohyakobi.com
Instagram: @RohYakobi
X: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 41. Saad Mohseni: The extraordinary life of a media visionary who changed Afghanistan

    56:10||Ep. 41
    Saad Mohseni is the Chairman and CEO of Moby Group, and the author of 'Radio Free Afghanistan'. Born in London, raised in Kabul, Tokyo and Melbourne, Saad Mohseni has been one of the most influential figures in Afghanistan's recent history, transforming Afghanistan and its culture by revolutionising the country's media landscape.In this interview, he shares his remarkable story, how he brought new media to Afghanistan, its impacts and consequences, as well as sharing his views on the current situation in the country. 📺 Watch on YouTubeProducer: Roh YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi
  • 40. Gen H.R. McMaster: What does Trump 2.0 mean for Afghanistan?

    34:57||Ep. 40
    General H.R. McMaster served as Donald Trump's National Security Advisor for 14 months during his first term and he formulated America's South Asia Strategy, which Trump abandoned after McMaster's departure. In this interview, he discusses the implications of the second Trump presidency for the world, looks back at the failure in Afghanistan and whether the country will feature in the new administration's foreign and security policy. He also shares his thoughts on the future of Afghanistan and the contributions he wants to make. 📺 Watch on YouTubeProducer: Roh YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi
  • 39. Sune Rasmussen: Afghanistan is a part of me

    01:03:26||Ep. 39
    Sune Engel Rasmussen is a Danish journalist and author who lived in Afghanistan, reporting extensively for several international outlets, including The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian.In this interview, we discuss his book Twenty Years, which offers an unique intimate insight into two decades of Western involvement in Afghanistan, told through the stories and struggles of young men and women affected by it, along with his own experiences of living and working in the country.📺 Watch on YouTubeProducer: Roh YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi
  • 38. Andrew North: My 20 years in Afghanistan

    53:54||Ep. 38
    Andrew North is an award-winning British journalist and former BBC correspondent in Afghanistan, Iraq, India, and the United States. He lived and reported from Afghanistan throughout two decades of international involvement and visited the country three times after the Taliban’s return, with his last visit resulting in his kidnapping by the group’s intelligence agents. His recently published book, War & Peace & War, tells his and the stories of five people who lived through the country’s conflicts.In this interview, he shares his stories and insights.📺 Watch on YouTubeProducer: Roh YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi
  • 37. Rahmatullah Nabil: The story of an Afghan spymaster (Part 2)

    54:25||Ep. 37
    Rahmatullah Nabil is an Afghan politician and former intelligence chief. Having lost his father at the age of one, he was raised by his mother, who dedicated her life to him. Nabil left school and joined one of the Mujahideen factions as a teenager. An ambush on Soviet forces, during which he was injured, and the discovery of a handwritten letter belonging to a Soviet soldier, changed his life. This led him to become a refugee in Pakistan, where he graduated from university and worked for the UN. He eventually joined the Afghan Republic government, becoming the country’s spymaster and later a presidential candidate. In this interview, he shares his extraordinary life story, and his thoughts and hopes for Afghanistan.📺 Watch on YouTubeProducer: Roh YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi
  • 36. Rahmatullah Nabil: The story of an Afghan spymaster (Part 1)

    53:07||Ep. 36
    Rahmatullah Nabil is an Afghan politician and former intelligence chief. Having lost his father at the age of one, he was raised by his mother, who dedicated her life to him. Nabil left school and joined one of the Mujahideen factions as a teenager. An ambush on Soviet forces, during which he was injured, and the discovery of a handwritten letter belonging to a Soviet soldier, changed his life. This led him to become a refugee in Pakistan, where he graduated from university and worked for the UN. He eventually joined the Afghan Republic government, becoming the country’s spymaster and later a presidential candidate. In this interview, he shares his extraordinary life story, and his thoughts and hopes for Afghanistan.📺 Watch on YouTube.Producer: Roh YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi
  • 35. Sir William Patey: The Taliban cannot turn Kabul into a Pashtun village

    54:25||Ep. 35
    Sir William Patey is a retired British diplomat with extensive experience in Middle Eastern and South Asian geopolitics. He served as the UK Ambassador to Kabul from 2010 to 2012, following earlier roles as Ambassador to Sudan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. In this interview, he shares his insights and analysis on Afghanistan—discussing what went wrong, what the future may hold, and recounting stories from his time in the country.📺 Watch on YouTube.Producer: Roh YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi
  • 34. Mark Urban: Ashraf Ghani was not enough of a bastard

    01:05:23||Ep. 34
    Mark Urban is a British journalist, broadcaster, and best-selling author of many books, including War in Afghanistan and The Skripal Files. He has covered Afghanistan extensively since the late 1980s, witnessing firsthand the withdrawal of Soviet forces, accompanying Ahmad Shah Massoud as he took Kabul in 1992, and other key events. In this interview, he shares his stories of the country and his thoughts on its future, as well the impacts of the West's failure.📺 Watch on YouTube.Producer: Roh YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi
  • 33. Sir Laurie Bristow: Why did we get it so badly wrong for 20 years?

    01:05:37||Ep. 33
    Sir Laurie Bristow, the UK's last ambassador in Kabul, witnessed the disintegration of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul into the hands of the Taliban in August 2021. He is the author of Kabul: Final Call, which provides an insider's view of the events as they unfolded. In this interview, we discuss the book, Sir Laurie’s reflections on his experiences, and his thoughts on the current situation in the country and its future.📺 Watch on YouTube.Producer: Roh YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi