H-PAD Notes 9/2/21: Sources on US role in Afghanistan – Historians for Peace and Democracy

Sources on US Role in Afghanistan

The events in Afghanistan continue to inspire a barrage of commentary in the mainstream media lamenting a US “weakness” in international affairs, as exemplified by President Biden's too “hasty” removal of troops. However, during the past two weeks there have also been numerous articles written either by historians or by historically oriented writers, which approach the topic from an anti-militarist perspective. The length of today's list reflects this.

Carolyn “Rusti” Eisenberg and Jim O'Brien

Tariq Ali, Debacle in Afghanistan,New Left Review blog, posted August 16

Andrew Bacevich, Why We Lost in Afghanistan, The Nation, posted August 23

Medea Benjamin and Nicholas Davies, Afghan Crisis Must End America’sEmpire of War, Corruption and Poverty, Common Dreams, posted August 30

John Bodnar, Words of Warning: Many Opposed the Afghanistan Invasion in 2001, History News Network, posted August 29

Juan Cole, Biden Got 117,000 Afghans Out: Contrast that Time Trump AbruptlyWithdrew from Syria and Refused to help Kurdish Allies, Informed Comment blog, posted August 29

William Dalrymple, Afghanistan Always Defeats the West, UnHerd, posted August 28

Daniel Falcone Interview with Historian Hannah Gurman, Corporate Media Were Complicit in the Afghan War and they are Still Obfuscating, Truthout, posted August 26

Jonathan M. Katz, The Disasters in Afghanistan and Haiti Share the Same Twisted Roots, New Republic, posted August 20

Ezra Klein, Let’s Not PretendThat the Way We Withdrew from Afghanistan Was the Problem, New York Times, posted August 26

Fredrik Logevall, How America Lost Its Way in Afghanistan, New York Times, posted August 17

Gareth Porter, Afghanistan Collapse Reveals Beltway Media's Loyalty to Permanent War State, antiwar.com, posted August 32

James Risen, A War's Epitaph: For Two Decades Americans Told One Lie after Another About What They Were Doing in Afghanistan, Reader Supported News, posted August 28 (originally published in The Intercept)

Stephen Wertheim, The Ever-Ready Answer for Failure in Afghanistan: More Wars, Washibngton Post, posted August 18

Valuable Resources

Human and Budgetary Costs toDate of the U.S. War in Afghanistan, ”Neta C. Crawford and Catherine Lutz, August 25, 2021, Watson Institute, Brown University

Special Inspector General Report, WhatWe Need to Learn: Lessons from Twenty Years of Afghanistan Reconstruction

NOTE: *Historians for Peace and Democracy (H-PAD) is in the process of adding to our Virtual Speakers List – the names of people who are prepared to give talks on the recent developments in Afghanistan and the implications for US foreign and domestic policy. We are hoping to post this information early next week.