The withdrawal of the US from Iraq and Afghanistan after costly but unsuccessful deployments has challenged the ability of the international community, through the United Nations and other organisations, to effect lasting geopolitical change.In this episode, Eliot Wilson talks to Dr Sean McFate of the Atlantic Council about where pulling out of Afghanistan leaves Biden-era US foreign policy and whether there is a public appetite for intervention abroad.They discuss the role of private military contractors, or mercenaries, so long regarded as a taboo for developed nations, and explore whether such forces could be used as a more efficient and effective tool for the global community to carry out foreign policy aims.