In an article published by The Friday Times, Francesc Vendrell is cited with regards to Hillary Clinton's characterization of the issue of whether or not to leave Afghanistan as a “wicked problem.” According to the article, Vendrell was sidelined prior to the Bonn Conference after suggesting that the conquest of territory by military force was not an acceptable basis for the future distribution of power in Afghanistan, a strategy that may have helped the U.S. avoid insurgency later on.