In The News

Trump Briefed on Russian Bounties Report: NYT

Charlie Savage, Eric Schmitt, Nicholas Fandos and Adam Goldman June 30, 2020
US intelligence agencies briefed Donald Trump in late February on reports that a Russian military intelligence unit paid bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill US and coalition troops in Afghanistan, according to two sources, reports the New York Times. The White House claims the report lacked consensus or verification, and the president did not receive a briefing. Uncertainty often...

Brands Accused of Using Forced Chinese Labor: AFP

March 2, 2020
Human rights advocates have long criticized China for detaining about 1 million Uighurs for reeducation. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute reports that China has transferred about 80,000 Uighurs to factories around the country behind 80 global brands including Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Mercedes-Benz, Samsung and Sony. “Companies using forced Uighur labour in their supply chains could...

Will US-Taliban Deal End the War? New York Times

Laurel Miller February 19, 2020
The Taliban’s ongoing fierce attacks in Afghanistan have blocked efforts at peace. US and Taliban negotiators approach a deal. The conditions are minimal with a brief ceasefire. The Taliban expects US troops to withdraw troops and the US does not want Afghanistan to be used by transnational terrorists. The Taliban have demonstrated the extent to which they will fight for a state with Islamic...

Public Misled on Afghan War: Washington Post

Craig Whitlock December 9, 2019
The war in Afghanistan has been underway since 2001, and confidential documents suggest that US officials hid evidence that the longest war in US history was unwinnable, reports Craig Whitlock for the Washington Post. Those documents entitled "Lessons Learned" were obtained after a three-year legal battle and include assessments from generals, diplomats, aid workers and Afghan officials...

Educate Afghan Youth to Ensure Peace: NYT

Roya Mahboob October 20, 2019
International aid for Afghanistan funds programs that strengthen democracy, while improving health and education systems. The young country, with a median population of 25 and a population of 35 million, struggles with poverty, extremism, political divisions and large numbers of children going uneducated. The World Bank estimated the per capita income at $560. “Human rights groups continue to...

US Cancels Taliban Talks: Voice of America

September 9, 2019
The United States has been at war in Afghanistan since October 2001. For almost a year, US negotiators have met with Taliban leaders to work out a peace deal. All the while, the Taliban extremist refused to work with the Afghan government. “The revelation of planned peace talks with the Taliban leaders and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at Camp David and the cancellation of the meetings are the...

Concerns About US-Taliban Peace Deal: Reuters

September 6, 2019
The United States has fought extremist forces in Afghanistan since 2001, including the Taliban. The war resulted in more than 3200 US and coalition military deaths, more than 20,000 wounded along with tens of thousands of more deaths and wounded among civilians and Afghan forces. The Trump administration is in a hurry to withdraw US forces. “The deal, which would see around 5,000 U.S. troops...