The lessons of history have not been learnt over Afghanistan

The lack of a clear exit plan in relation to military action is a mistake that the West can ill-afford to keep making, writes Anthony Seldon

A Taliban fighter outside the presidential palace in Kabul (Rahmat Gul/AP)

As Afghanistan falls to the Taliban, the finger of blame is being pointed every which way, often by those who abhorred the West’s continuing presence in the country.

Victory for the Taliban was inevitable, as was the withdrawal of Western boots on the ground, sooner or later. It’s pointless to blame President Joe Biden, when Donald Trump and Barack Obama would’ve done the same thing. When it comes to Britain, as in Iraq, so in Afghanistan. We were merely in the slipstream, walk-on players in a far bigger psychodrama.

Those who believe that Britain will be a serious global player post-Brexit have their chance now to prove that, without the shackles of the EU, Britain can punch way beyond its weight. After this past week, the jury remains out.