It is absolutely appalling to speak to fellow Americans, even those who are highly educated and intelligent, and to understand the abysmal nature of their ignorance about Afghanistan, what has happened in that country in the last 20 years, and the people who live there today.
American news coverage from Afghanistan had almost disappeared until this summer, when President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw all U.S. forces rekindled interest in some readers about the future of the country after America’s retreat.
To counter this ignorance, The Trenchant Observer is introducing a new feature under the heading, “Meet the Afghans America is abandoning.”
It is late in the game to try to counter the ignorance of the American population about Afghanistan, in 2021.
We should bear in mind that polls that show 60% or 70% support for Biden’s withdrawal decision are measuring the views of ignorant and ill-informed people.
This is not so much their fault as it is the fault of American society and culture in 2021, when there is little interest in U.S. foreign policy or what is going on in the rest of the world, and news media–except for a few leading newspapers–simply reflect that lack of interest.
Please accept our invitation to meet and learn about some of the Afghans who America, after 20 years of supporting their country’s democratic project, is abandoning now.
See,
1) Alex Horton and Ezzatullah Mehrdad “‘We are ready to fight’: Seniors at a girls-only high school in Afghanistan face an uncertain future,” Washington Post, August 10, 2021 (6:00 a.m. ET);
2) Ghazal Golshiri,”Afghanistan : « S’ils arrivent à Kaboul, les talibans vont tout brûler »,” Le Monde, le 10 Août 2021 (publié à 02h35, mis à jour à 13h34).
The Trenchant Observer
The Trenchant Observer has been following Afghanistan closely since 2005, when he worked in Kabul as the Team Leader of group of six lawyers charged with advising the government on modernizing its criminal justice process to better meet international human rights standards.
Use the Search box to the right to find previous articles by the Trenchant Observer on Afghanistan, going back to 2009.
