US politics

By Lauren Irwin, Natalie Saenz and Priya Bhat/News21 ( Cronkite News ) – As the sun beats down on a family farm in McFarland, California, immigrant workers duck under a leafy canopy of cotton-candy grapes for a moment of relief. It’s 5:56 a.m., and temperatures are quickly rising. Draped in cotton from fingers to toes, […]

Afghanistan

Why did a military superpower fail in Afghanistan?

The Conversation

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

Afghanistan is not the only place at risk of takeover by extremists: US has Dangerous Homegrown Radicals trying to Overthrow our Government

John Feffer

( Foreign Policy in Focus) – It’s as if a sudden natural disaster has just struck Afghanistan. The scenes from the capital Kabul reflect the kind of panic that comes when a Category 5 hurricane makes landfall, when the waters rise and the levees are breached, when a forest fire jumps over a fuel break […]

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

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 […]