'You do not belong here'

The panel will discuss the recent divisive departure of US and other troops from Afghanistan and how the war in the country might be commemorated.

• Is it too soon to write about the conflict?
• What kind of writing is appropriate?
• How do you commemorate a conflict that is ongoing or just finished?

Drawing on the experience of earlier wars, such as Vietnam, the panel will also reflect on what might happen in the future to the memory of the war in Afghanistan and how the prevailing narrative around such wars can become distorted or rewritten. 

Given the problems associated with evacuating Afghan translators and other civilians who helped American and British troops, the panel will consider how commemoration and writing can pay attention to the people who are frequently forgotten or ignored during and after war.