This talk will look at the Afghan War and its end from a managerial perspective. The war’s insights for US crisis management, and the effect of the US departure on the atomic bomb programs of Pakistan, Israel, and Iran will get special focus. The talk concludes by arguing that if US actions in Afghanistan are indicative of our competence in handling future intense crises, then the world is in serious danger. A question and answer session will follow. 

About the Speaker

Paul Bracken is Professor Emeritus of Management and Political Science at Yale University.  He is a leading expert on the strategic application of technology in business and defense, and is a consultant to many parts of the US defense and intelligence community. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he served on the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel for many years.  His is author of The Second Nuclear Age, Strategy, Danger, and the New Power Politics (Henry Holt); and The Hunt for Mobile Missiles: Nuclear Weapons, AI, and the New Arms Race (Foreign Policy Research Institute, 2020). Bracken grew up in Philadelphia and is an avid golfer and ham radio operator.

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