2021-08-25 12:01:00

Missteps Defined Every Aspect of the Afghan War



Sonali Kolhatkar speaks with Rahul Mahajan is the author of two books on the Iraq war: Full Spectrum Dominance: U.S. Power in Iraq and Beyond and The New Crusade: America’s War on Terrorism. He also teaches at University of Wisconsin, River Falls, and the US Foreign Policy and Empire Correspondent for Rising Up With Sonali.


President Joe Biden remains under fire for a botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. Reports of mass crowds and violence at Kabul airport underscore the desperation of those who are being seen as collaborators with the U.S. and the Western-backed Afghan government. The Taliban has warned of dire consequences if U.S. troops remain beyond August 31st in their evacuation efforts.

Meanwhile there are reports of the warlord resistance to the Taliban in the northern Panjshir Valley and fears of a new civil war breaking out. Former U.S. backed Afghan president Hamid Karzai is in talks to hand over power to the Taliban.

The U.S. war in Afghanistan cost more than 200,000 lives and 2 trillion dollars. Today, as an expert and author on Afghanistan, I’ll be exploring how the war was doomed from the start with my colleague and long-time foreign policy expert Rahul Mahajan. Rather than an interview style format, Rahul and I will be engaging in a dialog about the war.

Rising Up with Sonali is a radio and television show that brings progressive news coverage rooted in gender and racial justice to a wide audience. Rising Up With Sonali was built on the foundation of Sonali Kolhatkar's earlier show, Uprising, which became the longest-running drive-time radio show on KPFK in Los Angeles hosted by a woman. RUS airs on Free Speech TV every weekday.

Missed an episode? Check out Rising Up on FSTV VOD anytime or visit the show page for the latest clips.

#FreeSpeechTV is one of the last standing national, independent news networks committed to advancing progressive social change. 

#FSTV is available on Dish, DirectTV, AppleTV, Roku, Sling, and online at freespeech.org.

Afghanistan Free Speech TV Hamid Karzai Joe Biden Kabul Kabul Airport Panjshir Valley Rahul Mahajan Rising Up with Sonali Sonali Kolhatkar Taliban U.S. Troops United States Withdrawal

War and Peace

Rising Up With Sonali | How A Yes! Magazine Investigator Debunked Allegations Against Hamas

Rising Up With Sonali | How A Yes! Magazine Investigator Debunked Allegations Against Hamas

Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! | The Call for a Cease-Fire Results in the Tragic Loss of an Active-Duty Member.

Democracy Now! | The Call for a Cease-Fire Results in the Tragic Loss of an Active-Duty Member.

BreakThrough News

BreakThrough News | War on the Border and the Unlawful Treatment of Immigrants

BreakThrough News | War on the Border and the Unlawful Treatment of Immigrants

Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! | Western Countries Halt Funding UN Agency in Gaza

Democracy Now! | Western Countries Halt Funding UN Agency in Gaza

Related

Rising Up With Sonali | How A Yes! Magazine Investigator Debunked Allegations Against Hamas

Rising Up With Sonali | How A Yes! Magazine Investigator Debunked Allegations Against Hamas

Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! | Children in are Dying of Malnutrition and U.S. Only Calls for a Six-Week Cease-Fire

Democracy Now! | Children in are Dying of Malnutrition and U.S. Only Calls for a Six-Week Cease-Fire

The Thom Hartmann Program

The Thom Hartmann Program | Donald Trump's Political Grifting Continues

The Thom Hartmann Program | Donald Trump's Political Grifting Continues

The David Pakman Show

The David Pakman Show | Donald Trump's Blueprint

The David Pakman Show | Donald Trump's Blueprint

Proud Partners