GRAEME SMITH, International Crisis Group, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Presented by CIPS.

Video available on CPAC

The Dogs Are Eating Them Now is a highly personal account of the war in Afghanistan and how it went dangerously wrong, written by a reporter who for several years was the only Western journalist living full-time in the dangerous southern region. From the corruption of law enforcement agents and the tribal nature of the local power structure to the economics of the drug trade and the frequent blunders of foreign troops, this story gives a candid look at the Taliban’s continued influence—and at the mistakes, catastrophes and ultimate failure of the West’s best intentions.

Graeme Smith works as a senior analyst for the International Crisis Group, supervising a small team in Afghanistan. He previously served as a foreign correspondent for Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, with postings in Moscow (2005), Kandahar (2006–2009), Delhi (2010) and Istanbul (2011). He also worked as an adjunct scholar for the US Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. His awards include three National Newspaper Awards, Canada’s highest prize for print journalism, and the annual Michener Award for public service given by the Governor General of Canada. He also won an Emmy in 2009, for a video series that recorded the opinions of Taliban fighters. He lives in Kabul.