US Foreign Policy

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – President Joe Biden on Friday gave some further insight into his decision to leave Afghanistan, and refuted some of his critics’ talking points concisely and convincingly. Let me back up and explain that the Military-Industrial Complex spokespersons, like Gen. (ret’d) David Petraeus, criticized Biden for being unwilling to stay in […]

Afghanistan

Why Biden Is Right to End the War in Afghanistan

Peter Certo

Now our obligation is to those Afghans living with the consequences of our four decades of intervention

Afghanistan

Afghan troops sought safety in numbers – igniting a cascade of surrender

The Conversation

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 […]

Nonviolence

As the US empire declines, what openings exist for progressive movements?

Waging Nonviolence

By George Lakey | – Hard as it may be to see beyond the chaos and suffering in Afghanistan, the larger picture reveals real opportunities for social change. ( Waging Nonviolence ) – The fall of Kabul with, once again, the hurried and chaotic departure of surprised Americans, has led to an abundance of hand-wringing […]

Afghanistan

Public Opinion largely Supportive of Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal, despite Angst over Chaotic Process

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The abrupt collapse of the government of President Ashraf Ghani and his supposed 300,000 security forces in the past two weeks clearly caught the Biden administration by surprise. It is the most serious crisis yet for the new administration, and has shaken public confidence in the president, giving him the […]

Afghanistan

Don’t use girls as justification for bombing Afghanistan, again

Open Democracy

Dear British feminists, Western military intervention is never a good thing

Afghanistan

Afghanistan only the latest US war to be driven by deceit and delusion

The Conversation

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 […]

Afghanistan

The Biden Doctrine and Afghanistan: Lean Counter-Terrorism and the end of Bloated Nation-Building

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – President Joe Biden came out swinging on Monday in defense of his decision to get out of Afghanistan. The rapidity of the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government in Kabul before the Taliban advance in the past week raised questions about the wisdom of the move among critics of the […]

Afghanistan

Who’s Who In The Taliban: The Men Who Run The Extremist Group And How They Operate

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Ron Synovitz | – This piece from August 6, 2021, before they took over Afghanistan, is a very useful overview of Taliban leadership and I thought it well worth reprinting here. ( RFE/RL – Radio Azadi ) – With the Taliban in control … of all districts in Afghanistan, promises made by Taliban political […]