Help Us Stay Paywall-Free
Democracy depends on the free exchange of ideas. Help sustain it with a tax-deductible donation today.
Democracy depends on the free exchange of ideas. Help sustain it with a tax-deductible donation today.
Counterterrorism always trumped diplomacy in Afghanistan—with devastating and enduring consequences.
Tactical critiques of the war's conduct are a distraction from U.S. imperialism.
The legacy of September 11 continues to normalize state-sanctioned barbarity.
The U.S. occupation of Afghanistan sacrificed politics—the only viable route to peace—for massive corruption and violence.
From drone strikes to counterinsurgency efforts, the work of the late historian Nasser Hussain highlights the importance of understanding the mechanics of the War on Terror, not just its effects.
Washington Post reporting exposed that U.S. operations in Afghanistan were horribly mismanaged, but even a well-run mission would have been doomed to fail.
Ethics is long on beginning war but short on ending it.
In 1978, Afghanistan had achieved food security for a population of 15 million. Today, Afghanistan is extremely dependent on aid and imports.Â
Forum
Any story of war is a story of elites preying on the weak, the gullible, the marginal, the poor.
Forum
History shows that forcing rulers from power rarely works. Even apparently successful regime changes often leads to bitter civil war.
News of Osama bin Laden’s killing by U.S. special forces has sunk in. News of al Qaeda’s demise has not.
Forum
Counterinsurgency doesn’t make sense. It asks soldiers, concerned primarily with survival, to be Wyatt Earp and Mother Theresa.
A political and literary forum, independent and nonprofit since 1975.
Registered 501(c)(3) organization.
Newsletter subscribers get our latest essays, archival selections, reading lists, and exclusive editorial content.
Newsletter subscribers get our latest essays, archival selections, reading lists, and exclusive editorial content.