Chris Byfield, Express – 8 September 2021 William Dalrymple has commented on Tony Blair’s speech marking 20 years since the 9/11 attacks, in which he stated that the U.S.’ unwillingness to have boots on the ground puts the West at risk of terrorist attacks. Dalrymple claims that “in a sense he is the last person…
William Dalrymple, India Today – 8 September 2021 In this interview with India Today, William Dalrymple talks about the crisis in Afghanistan. Dalrymple explains why he doesn’t believe the Taliban have changed from when they last ruled and why they still remain a significantly dangerous and backward force. Watch the full interview here.
Times of India – 12 September 2021 The Times of India reports on William Dalrymple’s reaction to the Taliban’s all-male list of cabinet members. Dalrymple states that “The government is not just not inclusive, it is sort of quite spectacularly ‘uninclusive’ even within the Taliban frame” and claims it’s unlikely that they will continue their…
Dr. Sohail Mahmood – 12 September 2021 On August 30, the war in Afghanistan ended. America had managed to evacuate some 123,000 civilians from Kabul, including 6,000 Americans. The twenty-year war had a high cost. Some 2,461 US soldiers and civilians were killed. On August 26 a terrorist bombing killed 13 soldiers in Kabul. President Biden on August 31, 2021…
Stefanie Babst, Internationale Politik Quarterly – 2 September 2021 “The Western allies need to review what went wrong in Afghanistan with a genuine sense of humility. Otherwise they are bound to repeat the same mistakes in the future”. This article on Internationale Politik Quarterly looks at four hard questions for NATO after the fall of…
Amy Kazmin, Financial Times – 9 September 2021 Upon taking over the city, the Taliban decimated Kabul’s colourful street art which, for many, had provided a cheerful sign of hope during troubled times. In this article on the FT, Amy Kazmin looks at the outlook for arts and culture within the country under Taliban rule.…
Helen Holmes, Observer – 8 September 2021 According to this article, the resurgence of the Taliban and chaotic scenes in Kabul cause uncertainty and concern over the future of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage. This concern is particularly intensified when looking at previous incidents such as that in 2001 when the Taliban destroyed the Buddha statues in…
Shadi Hamid, The Atlantic – 23 August 2021 America’s nation-building fantasies painted over the realities of a failed state and created an insurmountable barrier between Afghan citizens and the US military, according to this article on The Atlantic. Instead, the Taliban made their return through grass-root dispute resolutions. Read the full article here.
The Conversation Weekly Podcast – 26 August 2021 In this podcast episode, The Conversation talks to two Afghanistan experts about the Taliban’s history and the events in the past two decades that have lead to their resurgence and the takeover of Kabul. Listen to the podcast here.
