US politics

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

Top Nine Policy Recommendations for U.S. in wake of Afghanistan Debacle

Farhang Jahanpour

Oxford (Special to Informed Comment) – I do not wish to rub salt into the wounds of US and British officials who are responsible for the humiliating debacle in Afghanistan, but there is no way of sugar-coating this appalling tragedy, especially for hard-pressed Afghans who have experienced war and occupation for over 40 years. In […]

Afghanistan

Deja Vu all over Again: The last Time Mazar-i Sharif Fell to the Taliban, there were Massacres

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In May, 1997, the Taliban swept into Mazar-i Sharif, the capital of the northern Balkh Province. Horrible events ensued, which I’ll tell you about. Right now, it is important to say that Al Jazeera reports that Mazar fell to the Taliban again on August 14, 2021, as the Afghanistan National […]

Afghanistan

Why a Taliban Victory in Afghanistan was all along a Real Possibility despite the Trillions the U.S. Poured In

The Conversation

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 […]

Afghanistan

The Great Washington Ponzi Scheme in Afghanistan comes Crashing Down

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The United States lost the Afghanistan War a long time ago, as is quickly becoming apparent as the Taliban take city after city. After 2002, it was never clear what the US war aim was. You can’t win a war if you don’t have a clear objective. The war is […]

Afghanistan

Taliban seize Herat and assault nearby dam that provides water and power to hundreds of thousands of Afghans

The Conversation

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 […]

Featured

Dear CIA Director Burns: Don’t Listen to the Israelis on Iran– They just want you to fight a war for them

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Jonathan Lis at Haaretz reports that the Israeli government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is lobbying the US to get on a war footing with Iran. The Israelis will try to convince CIA director William Burns of their position on Iran in his meetings there on Wednesday. Lis makes 3 […]

National Security State

Generations of Struggle: Lessons on Defending Democracy

Liz Theoharis

By Liz Theoharis | – ( Tomdispatch.com ) – My father, Athan G. Theoharis, passed away on July 3rd. A leading expert on the FBI, he was responsible for exposing the bureau’s widespread abuses of power. He was a loyal husband, dedicated father, scholar, civil libertarian, and voting-rights advocate with an indefatigable commitment to defending […]

Afghanistan

Taliban Gains pose risk to fragile Legal Protections gained by Afghan Women: HRW

Human Rights Watch

( Human Rights Watch) – (New York) – The Afghan government’s failure to provide accountability for violence against women and girls has undermined progress to protect women’s rights, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Gains by Taliban forces as the United States completes its troop withdrawal leaves the current Afghan state, and […]