Why did Britain's top diplomat in Afghanistan quit?

In the wake of Britain's leading diplomat in Afghanistan's resignation, speculation is brewing over the reasons why. His criticism of the way the war was conducted, especially by the American military, made Sherard Cowper-Coles a controversial figure.

Dig back into his forthright views on tactics, the Taliban, Britain's diplomatic approach and a lot more by turning to Prospect's Afghanistan debate of December 2007, in which he and Afghanistan expert (and now Tory MP) Rory Stewart discussed what should, or could, be done to make progress there.

And keep an eye out for our exclusive interview with General David Richards in the forthcoming issue of Prospect, published on Thursday. Richards—the army's top man now tipped to replace Jock Stirrup as overall head of the military—speaks frankly about our failures in Afghanistan, the future of the military and Britain’s place in the world.