by Alistair Lyon | 16 Aug 2021 | Asia, Conflict, Educators' Catalog, Eyewitness, Human Rights, Islam, Politics, Terrorism, World
The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan after another failed foreign intervention. Will they ease their hard line? And what lessons can be learned? Taliban fighters in Afghanistan’s presidential palace, Kabul, Afghanistan, 15 August 2021 (AP Photo/Zabi...
The reconquest of Afghanistan by the Taliban is a fast-moving story, and the mainstream media is busy keeping us informed of the latest developments. It’s one of those stories that cries out for context, and Alistair Lyon delivers the goods in his tour de force, informed by his years on the ground in the South Asian nation. If those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it, then Lyon’s article might help young readers understand why the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan was almost destined to fall short — and help them avoid similar mistakes in the future.
Exercise: Ask your students to compare U.S. involvement in Afghanistan with another foreign entanglement, and to elaborate on similarities and differences between the conflicts.
by Susan Ruel | 2 Aug 2021 | Americas, Asia, Conflict, Eyewitness, Islam, Personal Reflections, Terrorism
New Yorkers will never forget the attack on our city of 20 years ago. But will Americans remember the lessons of 9/11 and of the war in Afghanistan? Survivors of the attacks in New York, 11 September 2001 (AP Photo/Gulnara Samoilova) Next month will mark 20 years...
by Ben Barber | 9 Apr 2021 | Asia, Conflict, Decoders, Human Rights, Joe Biden, Terrorism
The U.S. wants to end its longest war and withdraw from Afghanistan—called by some the graveyard of empires. But a May 1 deadline looks uncertain. U.S. military carry the casket of a soldier killed in Afghanistan, Dover, Delaware, 12 June 2017. (EPA-EFE/SCOTT SERIO)...
by Ben Barber | 28 May 2020 | Asia, Eyewitness, Islam, Nationalism, Terrorism
I was in Afghanistan when mujahideen guerrillas fought Soviet invaders. Three decades later, security remains precarious and peace a distant dream. Men walking from the Pakistan border into Afghan territory abandoned by Soviet-backed Afghan forces in 1988 (All photos...
by Jessica Moody | 3 Feb 2020 | Donald Trump, Terrorism, United States
The U.S. is considering pulling forces out of the Sahel in Africa, where they are fighting Islamic extremists. Would a withdrawal make Americans safer? People flee as security forces aim their weapons during an attack by extremists at a luxury hotel complex in...
