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David Kilcullen

David KilcullenContributing Editor for Military Affairs

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inquirerInquirer

Six years on and Australian SAS troops are still patrolling the rugged and dangerous mountains and valleys of Afghanistan 25 Jan 2009.

There are reasons, not excuses, for the army’s nightmare

Real wars are fought by human beings, not monsters or mythical bronzed Anzacs. This painful reckoning must surely include asking ourselves whether Afghanistan was worth it.

David Kilcullen

lebanonInquirer

TOPSHOT - EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / A picture shows a destroyed silo at the scene of an explosion at the port in the Lebanese capital Beirut on August 4, 2020. - Two huge explosion rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut, wounding dozens of people, shaking buildings and sending huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky. Lebanese media carried images of people trapped under rubble, some bloodied, after the massive explosions, the cause of which was not immediately known. (Photo by STR / AFP)

The last bloody straw for a crumbling nation

The deadly Beirut blast might force its corrupt leaders to accept reform.

David Kilcullen

inquirerInquirer

A militia group with no political affiliation from Michigan stands in front of the Governors office after protesters occupied the state capitol building during a vote to approve the extension of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's emergency declaration/stay-at-home order due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the state capitol in Lansing, Michigan, U.S. April 30, 2020. REUTERS/Seth Herald - RC28FG9SHVHD

Home of the hateful, fearful, heavily armed

Coronavirus is threatening to ignite a tinderbox of grievances in the US. The growing parallels with Iraq, Lebanon and Somalia are real and disturbing.

David Kilcullen

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping shake hands during a signing ceremony in the Kremlin in Moscow on July 4, 2017 The two leader hold formal talks against a backdrop of mounting tensions over North Korea ahead of G20 summit talks with Donald Trump. / AFP PHOTO / Alexander NEMENOV

The play for a new order

Beijing and Moscow are taking advantage of the chaos arising from the COVID-19 pandemic to reposition themselves.

David Kilcullen

inquirerInquirer

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, March 12, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

How the West lost its way in a jungle

As COVID-19 kills thousands, the West is paying for its post-Cold War hubris.

David Kilcullen

InquirerInquirer

TOPSHOT - Afghan Taliban militants and villagers attend a gathering as they celebrate the peace deal and their victory in the Afghan conflict on US in Afghanistan, in Alingar district of Laghman Province on March 2, 2020. - The Taliban said on March 2 they were resuming offensive operations against Afghan security forces, ending the partial truce that preceded the signing of a deal between the insurgents and Washington. (Photo by NOORULLAH SHIRZADA / AFP)

Same-same but different for Afghans

Hold the applause for the peace deal and look to Iraq for likely outcomes.

David Kilcullen

taus inq cover 4 3

New rules for an old war

Donald Trump puts a dollar value on everything, even conflict with Iran.

David Kilcullen

AnalysisInquirer

CORRECTION - (COMBO) This combination of file photos shows a handout picture provided by the office of the Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on June 4, 2019 of Iranian Major General in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qasem Soleimani (L) in Tehran; and a file photo taken on December 31, 2019 of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (R), a commander in the Popular Mobilization Forces, attending a funeral procession of Hashed al-Shaabi fighters in Baghdad. - A US strike killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and the deputy head of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi military force, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, at Baghdad's airport early on January 3, 2020, the Hashed announced. (Photo by Handout and Ahmad AL-RUBAYE / IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER'S WEBSITE / AFP) / --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / KHAMENEI.IR" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS / “The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this combo photo has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [January 3, 2020 in the second sentence] instead of [January 3, 2019]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require.”

General’s killing lifts US-Iran tensions

One Iranian response might be to launch asymmetric attacks on US personnel and bases across the Middle East.

David Kilcullen

CommentaryInquirer

Islamic State fighters pose with their flag.

Reinvented ISIS on a road to revenge

Baghdadi’s transformation into a martyr will give fighters worldwide a reason to avenge his death. We will see a rash of vengeance attacks.

David Kilcullen

InquirerInquirer

TOPSHOT - Syrian government forces arrive in the town of Tal Tamr, not far from the flashpoint Kurdish Syrian town of Ras al-Ain on the border with Turkey, which has been a key target of Turkish forces and their proxies since they launched their military assault, on October 15, 2019. - Syrian regime troops arrived after Damascus deployed troops to the country's north to contain a days-long Turkish offensive. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)

Trump may back-pedal but damage done

Donald Trump could yet join the Kurds as a victim of the US hurried withdrawal from Syria.

David Kilcullen

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/david-kilcullen/page/3