Larry Cohler-Esses, Forward
Just weeks after U.S. forces and their allies in the Northern Alliance had routed the Taliban from most of Afghanistan, the NY Daily News assigned me to accompany an odd delegation to the country on a 24-hour visit.
John McCormack, National Review
During remarks at the White House on Monday, President Biden blamed the Afghan army's lack of will for the Taliban's swift victory and the fall of Kabul.
Nathan Hodge, CNN
(CNN)With the collapse of the Afghan government, a campaign of quiet outreach to the Taliban appears to be paying dividends for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Jen Kirby, Vox
How the Islamic militant group has — and hasn't — changed in 20 years.
Matt Purple, The American Conservative
The failure in Afghanistan is a rude awakening for America 20 years too late.
Mark Episkopos, National Interest
Moscow has found a like-minded partner in its handling of the Afghanistan crisis in the form of Beijing, holding joint military drills of an unprecedented scale with the People's Liberation Army on Chinese soil earlier in August.
Christoph Reuter, Der Spiegel
The Taliban claim they will be a just and more gentle power this time around, but all past experience justifies the panic and horror. What is the country facing under its new rulers?
Edward Luce, Financial Times
Biden's decision to withdraw, like many others in the past two decades, was shaped by domestic concerns
Noah Rothman, Commentary
It is unclear just what the United States has gained from withdrawing the small, affordable, and effective deterrent force that had remained in Afghanistan to support its security forces. It is unnervingly obvious what we've lost: national prestige, vast sums of political capital, credibility on the world stage and, most tangibly, our security. The world is much more dangerous today than it was just 72 hours ago.
William Hague, Times of London
n the end, the only surprise was that anyone was so surprised. I wrote in April, when President Biden announced his fateful withdrawal from Afghanistan saying "We'll determine what a continued US diplomatic presence looks like", that it would look like an evacuation. Today, that panic-stricken evacuation is underway. A total collapse of the Afghan army, once it was unsupported, was always a serious risk that should have been anticipated. History is littered... Читать дальше...
Dhruva Jaishankar, The Hindu
Ever since Independence, India's fate has been closely tied to the rest of the world. In some sense, it had no choice. A large, newly independent, impoverished, and impossibly diverse country required active engagement with a variety of partners for its survival, security, and development.
Vishnu Modur, Notes on Liberty
I have argued elsewhere that Republic of India is a Civilization-State, where Indic civilizational features will find increasing expression as the Indian state evolves away from its legacy of the British Raj. However, India's history is an area of immense concern and a rate-limiting step in the evolution of the Civilization-State. The past seventy-five years of Indian independence have shown that to break away from the influences of...
Michael Rubin, National Interest
The Taliban may claim victory today but, for Afghanistan, they represent less the end of fighting than one chapter in a bloody history.
Small Wars Journal
I'm currently part of a Crisis Coordination Center for Afghanistan. With my time crawling around Afghanistan and Pakistan, being in the direct presence of the Taliban and having produced multiple predictions and forecasts, I'll share some thoughts on the Afghan-related pieces in your daily. Pardon any misspellings. I'm typing on a phone with one thumb.
Robin Wright, New Yorker
There are many repercussions that will endure long after the U.S. withdrawal. First, jihadism has won a key battle against democracy. The West believed that its armor and steel, backed by a generous infusion of aid, could defeat a hard-line ideology with a strong local following. The Taliban are likely, once again, to install Sharia as law of the land. Afghanistan will again, almost certainly, become a haven for like-minded militants, be they members of Al Qaeda or others in search of a haven or a sponsor. Читать дальше...
Angela Stent, Foreign Affairs
Why Moscow's Moves Could Determine the Future of Navigation.
Michael Tomasky, New Republic
It was tragic to watch events unfolding Sunday in Kabul. Blame Joe Biden for a terrible miscalculation based on intelligence estimates that were obviously crap. But also blame Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo (who signed the peace deal with the Taliban that forced Biden to choose between withdrawal and expansion of hostilities). And while you're at it, blame George W. Bush and the neocons, blame the generals, and in fact, blame
Stephen Collinson, CNN
(CNN)The debacle of the US defeat and chaotic retreat in Afghanistan is a political disaster for Joe Biden, whose failure to orchestrate an urgent and orderly exit will further rock a...
Lynsey Addario, The Atlantic
As a photojournalist covering Afghanistan for two decades, I've seen how hard the country's women have fought for their freedom, and how much they have gained. Now they stand to lose everything.
Najmeh Bozorgmehr, Financial Times
Shortly after her 12th birthday, Ameneh — not her real name — was forced to get engaged to her adult, bearded cousin and move into the house of her uncle, a businessman who traded with the Taliban.
