By Hanif Sufizada | – Editor’s note: Afghan scholar Hanif Sufizada, who works at the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha, got caught in Kabul during the chaos of the U.S. military pullout, when thousands of Afghans fled to the airport, seeking a way out of the country. Editor Catesby Holmes […]
Afghan troops sought safety in numbers – igniting a cascade of surrender
By Todd Lehmann | – The swift collapse of the Afghan military in recent days caught many in the U.S. by surprise, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In the months after President Joe Biden’s April 2021 announcement of the troop withdrawal, intelligence reports warned that the Afghan military might not fight […]
The Taliban’s conquest of Kabul threatens the lives and safety of girls, women and sexual minorities
By Deeplina Banerjee< | - The world watched in shock as Ashraf Ghani, the president of Afghanistan, fled the country on Aug. 15. The Taliban occupied Kabul, the country’s capital, and international news channels and social media began to be flooded with devastating pictures of Afghans desperately attempting to escape the impending Taliban regime. Afghanistan’s […]
Why did a military superpower fail in Afghanistan?
By Arie Perliger | – The speed and efficiency with which Taliban forces were able to complete the occupation of most of Afghanistan, as well as the quick collapse of the Afghan government, has led to criticism of President Joe Biden’s decision to end U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and of the withdrawal’s logistics. But […]
Afghanistan only the latest US war to be driven by deceit and delusion
By Gordon Adams | – In Afghanistan, American hubris – the United States’ capacity for self-delusion and official lying – has struck once again, as it has repeatedly for the last 60 years. This weakness-masquerading-as-strength has repeatedly led the country into failed foreign interventions. The pattern first became clear to me when I learned on […]
As Afghanistan falls, what does it mean for the Middle East?
By Tony Walker |- In the 19th century, the phrase “The Great Game” was used to describe competition for power and influence in Afghanistan, and neighbouring central and south Asia territories, between the British and Russian empires. Neither side prevailed in what became known as the “graveyard of empires”. Two centuries later, an American superpower […]
Why a Taliban Victory in Afghanistan was all along a Real Possibility despite the Trillions the U.S. Poured In
By Natasha Lindstaedt | – ( The Conversation) – In less than a week, the Taliban has captured nearly a dozen key cities in Afghanistan. With the departure of US forces, it is poised to take over the country from the embattled Afghan government. Over the past 20 years, the US has poured trillions of […]
To end war in Afghanistan, Taliban demand Afghan president’s removal
By Madhav Joshi and David Cortright | – The Taliban continue to gain territory in their bloody insurgency to seize control of Afghanistan. Recently, Taliban leaders said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s removal is a condition for ending the conflict. If a mutually acceptable candidate were named to replace Ghani, a Taliban spokesman told The Associated […]
Taliban seize Herat and assault nearby dam that provides water and power to hundreds of thousands of Afghans
By Elizabeth B. Hessami and Asef Ghafoory | – ( The Conversation) – The Taliban have taken over the Afghan city of Herat, capping three weeks of furious fighting in which both men and women took up arms to defend their city while many residents fled gunfights and rocket attacks. The fall of Herat follows […]