Whether it was the first Afghan War from 1839-1842, the Russian invasion of 1979, or the current deployment of western forces, no attempt to impose widespread political change in Afghanistan has succeeded. What makes this country so difficult to conquer or govern, and why have so few lessons been learned?

Victor Sebestyen, who chronicled the Russian invasion of 1979, discusses the issues with Patrick Hennessey, author of 'Kandak', and Medea Benjamin, author of Drone Warfare and a leading authority on one of the major new tools of 21st-century conflict: drone warfare.