Oh my. Did you hear?
Afghanistan, you mean? Yes.
Somber conversations were taking place this weekend and we’re seeing an avalanche of analyses in various media outlets this week.
The Taliban has taken power in Afghanistan. It finally happened and it’s terrifying.
But what’s next?
To answer this question, we have to look not only into the future but very much into the past, too.
- Who created the Taliban?
- Who supported it?
- How did it change, as a political force, throughout the years?
- What’s the role of the US in all this and, more importantly, what are the ways in which it can now start actually helping the Afghan people?
- Can we recognise the Taliban as a ruling force? Wha happens if we do and what happens if we don’t?
- What are the best ways to help the Afghan people now?
Before I present an in-depth analysis of all of this, let me first point to an important difference in concepts here.
Nation-building can be seen as one colonial/imperialist concept.
If “Let us form a certain type of society and government for you…” sounds a bit (white)supremacist, that’s because it is.
Post-war reconstruction and humanitarian aid is a different thing, albeit also not without its criticisms.
The first one failed. The second one can – and should, if we care for the Afghan people – happen.
But how exactly? What would be needed?
I’m very proud to present an emergency webinar put together by CODEPINK, an organisation I have joined recently and am always excited to share what their experts have to say.
This is one long and in-depth conversation. I hope you enjoy.
(You can also listen to it on Spotify!)
Also, if you are wondering how you can actually help the people of Afghanistan, here’s one way:
Please consider donating to our fundraiser the funds of which are already going towards airlifting vulnerable women out of Afghanistan.
This is not the first time CODEPINK is providing this kind of assistance to Afghan women but we need your help to do it again.
Latest from the Blog
From Cuba to Palestine: Beware Those Who Seek to See Hospitals Run Out of Fuel
What we’re seeing in Cuba is an intensification of imperial violence by those who have been unleashing it on Palestine, too. The parallels here are many, including how the mentality of a coloniser cannot be more on display here.
Have You Witnessed Democratic Mechanisms Being Eroded on Live TV? Here’s An Example
If you couldn’t believe what you were seeing during Pam Bondi’s, the U.S. Attorney General’s testimony in a House Judicial Committee hearing on the Epstein files, here’s how to make sense of it. It’s also why it is terrifying.
From Palestine to The Epstein Files: Will You Demand Justice or Embrace Collective Amnesia?
It is not only the violence by the ones in power that the Epstein files resemble Israel’s destruction of Gaza – it’s about the (potential) collective amnesia, too.
How Fascist Regimes See Growing up, Standing up for People, and Writing Poems as Threats
Hind Rajab was killed by Israeli forces two years ago today – and that is one of the threads of history that I talk about in my essay-like video. It’s about fascism, its victims, the heaviness of witnessing these horrors, and how we can move forward.
On U.S. State Violence: A Continuation, Not a Rupture
The recent murder of Alex Pretti by ICE agents is one painfully clear indication – or, rather, a reminder – that in the U.S, the violence abroad has come back as fascism at home.
After Having Enabled It for Decades, The EU Is Appalled by U.S. Imperialism — Only When It Threatens Its Shores
After having enabled U.S. and Israeli military aggression around the world, notice the EU appeal to international law when the territorial integrity of Denmark is threatened by the U.S.
If You’d Like The EU to Cut Trade Ties with Israel, Here’s An Action to Take and Share
The EU leadership has shown us how it treats genocidal states: there are only talks about tech innovations, handshakes, and the strengthening of ties with a regime that remains a champion of the mass murder of children. But here’s a concrete action you can take towards accountability.
International Law is No More, Fascism is Here: How Will You Choose to Operate in This Reality?
Fascism has never been a thing of the past; now, to disregard it means to disengage from reality. As international law has crumbled, Israel is still destroying Gaza, and masked agents are snatching people of the streets in the U.S., I invite you to ask yourself how you choose to show up in this reality.
As The U.S. Attacks Venezuela, Notice Who Bows Down to Empires and Spreads Their Propaganda
You would think we would be beyond cheering military aggression by empires. Yet be aware of this cheering, as well as of consciously erasing international law considerations in the coverage of recent U.S. attacks on Venezuela.
A Visual Summary of What Our Governments Have Allowed Israel to Do to International Law
When the UN premises are raided and the UN flag is replaced by the Israeli flag, it’s not even international news. It’s not a scandal. Because of the impunity our governments continue to generously gift to Israel (which in turn has rendered international law itself completely battered).
Don’t miss an update! Follow The Exploding Head
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
The Exploding Head Media 
One thought on “Afghanistan: What’s Next?”