Ditchley Foundation's 49th Annual Lecture, 13th July

Oliver McTernan and Martha Wansbrough attended the Ditchley Foundation's 49th Annual Lecture titled "After the Decade of War." The speech was given by the former foreign secretary, David Miliband, ahead of starting his new position at the International Rescue Committee. Mr Miliband's speech focused on the lessons of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the current humanitarian crisis in Syria. Mr Miliband argued that "an over-reliance on military power and an under-investment in politics and diplomacy" had been a central mistake of the Western interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and had undermined efforts to restore stability.  Whilst urging Western countries to maintain activist foreign policies to tackle global challenges, Mr Miliband also stressed that the international community must also learn from the mistakes of the last ten years.Mr Miliband's full speech can be accessed on his website: http://davidmiliband.net/2013/07/49th-ditchley-lecture-after-the-decade-of-war/