Thoughts on this, that and the rest
Thoughts on this, that and the rest
From the romanticised photos of 1960s Kabul to the tidy online verdicts about different leaderships, we love simple stories about Afghanistan. But simplicity is often dishonest. This piece explores how "visible progress" masked structural failure, why women’s rights have been a political lever for a century, and why nuance isn’t about excusing the Taliban but about understanding the machinery that failed ordinary Afghans long before 2021.
With all the noise around Marxism and socialism lately, I keep coming back to a story from my own family. Back in the 1980s, someone close to me spent time in Pul-e-Charkhi — the infamous prison outside Kabul. The charge,…
Afghan President Hamid Karzai lost support from international allies, domestic political factions, and the public due to widespread government corruption and inefficiency. Despite his efforts to encourage peace talks with the Taliban and request NATO troop withdrawals, his administration was unable to achieve political stability.
The overall situation in Afghanistan deteriorated through prolonged foreign military presence, evolving insurgent tactics, and deep social inequality. Political observers saw no clear direction or viable solution to resolve the ongoing conflict and regional instability.
