Coffee House interview: Mark Sedwill

Diplomats are often seen as stuffy characters from a different century, men who often appear lost in today’s chaotic world. Nobody could be further from that caricature than Mark Sedwill, the former British ambassador in Kabul and outgoing NATO Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan. For more than a year, Sedwill has been, first, General Stanley McChrystal’s right-hand and, more recently, the civilian counterpart to General David Petraeus. Since he took up his ambassadorial post in Kabul, after a stint as Deputy High Commissioner in Pakistan, few Britons have had as much influence on NATO’s strategy as him. And there are now rumours that, having impressed several Tory ministers, Sedwill could be in line to replace Peter Rickett as the Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser. In the week when his replacement was announced, the Ealing-born diplomat kindly agreed to answer a few questions about NATO’s Afghan mission.

Daniel Korski: It seems that after ten years, NATO finally has all the military elements in place to beat back the various insurgencies – with practically half the US Marine Corps in Helmand.