Graeme Smith Senior Consultant, Afghanistan Please submit all media inquiries to media@crisisgroup.org or call +32 (0) 2 536 00 71 Crisis Group Role Graeme Smith is a senior consultant for Crisis Group’s Asia Program, focusing on Afghanistan. He assists in developing the research agenda and shaping the analysis and reporting on the Afghan conflict and its regional dimensions, as well as contributing to research projects on the humanitarian and economic consequences of the Taliban takeover. Professional Background Graeme Smith is an author and consultant with nine years of on-the-ground experience in Afghanistan since 2005. His recent clients included the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the Norwegian Centre for Conflict Resolution (NOREF) and the International Crisis Group (ICG). From 2015 to 2018, he served as a Political Affairs Officer for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, with responsibility for domestic politics. He previously worked as the Crisis Group country director in Afghanistan (2012-2015). His career as a journalist included more than a decade as a staff reporter for The Globe and Mail, which posted him in Moscow (2005), Kandahar (2006-2009), Delhi (2010) and Istanbul (2011). He taught politics at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. His awards include the Michener Award for public service granted annually by the governor general of Canada. He also won an Emmy Award in 2009, for a video series that recorded the opinions of Taliban fighters. His bestselling book, The Dogs Are Eating Them Now: Our War In Afghanistan, was published in Canada (2013), the United States (2014) and France (2015). He co-wrote and presented a documentary, “Ghosts of Afghanistan”, which debuted in English, French and German in 2021. Areas of Expertise Taliban Political economy Conflict analysis Informal trade Languages English French Dari Select Publications The Dogs Are Eating Them Now: Our War In Afghanistan In The News 21 Dec 2022 The flood of outrage from the West will strengthen the resolve of the Taliban leadership [in Afghanistan], which defines itself as a bulwark against the outside world. Reuters Graeme Smith Senior Consultant, Afghanistan 9 May 2022 The whole world is trying to scramble for limited supplies and Afghanistan will be one of the least able to compete. NPR Graeme Smith Senior Consultant, Afghanistan 20 Feb 2022 Western economic restrictions are creating an economic crisis in the country which is driving tens of millions Afghans into starvation. The New York Times Graeme Smith Senior Consultant, Afghanistan 13 Dec 2021 History shows that ignoring Afghanistan allows problems to fester and grow. Migration, terrorism, drugs: all of these issues could destabilize the region and spill over i... The Wall Street Jounral Graeme Smith Senior Consultant, Afghanistan 4 Nov 2021 If we do nothing, Afghanistan drifts into state collapse. The economic chokehold is squeezing the air out of the economy. Christian Science Monitor Graeme Smith Senior Consultant, Afghanistan 16 Jan 2020 [The Taliban's] pause in attacks on cities is unprecedented over the last dozen years. AFP Graeme Smith Senior Consultant, Afghanistan Latest Updates Op-Ed / Asia 13 December 2022 Let Afghanistan Rebuild Op-Ed / Asia 12 October 2022 Afghanistan’s central bank needs its assets back, argues Graeme Smith Our Journeys / Asia 09 June 2022 A Short Visit to the Taliban’s Tense and Quiet Capital Podcast / Asia 06 May 2022 Taliban Rule in Afghanistan U.S. Congressional Testimony / Asia 10 February 2022 Afghanistan: The Humanitarian Crisis and U.S. Response Q&A / Asia 28 January 2022 Toward a New Mandate for the UN Mission in Afghanistan Load more