About the host…
This program is hosted by Anand Gopal, an investigative journalist and author who covers Afghanistan, Egypt, and other international hotspots. Anand was based in Afghanistan for more than 3 years writing for the Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, and Foreign Policy Magazine. 

We hear Afghan perspectives on the impending US troop drawdown.

Journalist Matthieu Aikins shares his outlook on security and the economy in Afghanistan.

Reporter Tabasum Wolayat shares what it’s like to be an Afghan woman in Kabul and initiatives by Afghan women’s youth organizations to protest harassment on the streets.

In Part 2…

We meet Shabana Basij-Rasikh, an Afghan woman building the first girl’s high school in her father’s province of Laghman. 

Journalist Pratap Chatterjee host a debate aobut whether the US military should be doing development work, with guests Marlin Hardinger, a US Foreign Service Officer, and Paul O’Brien, Oxfam America’s Vice President for Policy and Advocacy.

Reporter Elva Narcia explains an effort to give Community Development Councils tools to track money spent on development projects through social audits.

The US Institute for Peace’s Andrew Wilder critiques Washington DC’s role in quick fix development projects.

Reporter Tom A. Peter warns that Kabul has a major sanitation problem on its hands.

In Part 3…

Journalist Shafiq Hakimi introduces us to a man trying to create a community garden in Kabul.

Anand Gopal continues his conversation with journalist Matthieu Aikens questioning common narratives about what’s going wrong in Afghanistan—and what reporters can learn by getting out of Kabul.

Zach Warren shares his experiences cataloging Afghan jokes and wondering if humor may have potential as a tool for diplomacy.

About the host…
This program is hosted by Anand Gopal, an investigative journalist and author who covers Afghanistan, Egypt, and other international hotspots. Anand was based in Afghanistan for more than 3 years writing for the Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, and Foreign Policy Magazine. 

We hear Afghan perspectives on the impending US troop drawdown.

Journalist Matthieu Aikins shares his outlook on security and the economy in Afghanistan.

Reporter Tabasum Wolayat shares what it’s like to be an Afghan woman in Kabul and initiatives by Afghan women’s youth organizations to protest harassment on the streets.

In Part 2…

We meet Shabana Basij-Rasikh, an Afghan woman building the first girl’s high school in her father’s province of Laghman. 

Journalist Pratap Chatterjee host a debate aobut whether the US military should be doing development work, with guests Marlin Hardinger, a US Foreign Service Officer, and Paul O’Brien, Oxfam America’s Vice President for Policy and Advocacy.

Reporter Elva Narcia explains an effort to give Community Development Councils tools to track money spent on development projects through social audits.

The US Institute for Peace’s Andrew Wilder critiques Washington DC’s role in quick fix development projects.

Reporter Tom A. Peter warns that Kabul has a major sanitation problem on its hands.

In Part 3…

Journalist Shafiq Hakimi introduces us to a man trying to create a community garden in Kabul.

Anand Gopal continues his conversation with journalist Matthieu Aikens questioning common narratives about what’s going wrong in Afghanistan—and what reporters can learn by getting out of Kabul.

Zach Warren shares his experiences cataloging Afghan jokes and wondering if humor may have potential as a tool for diplomacy.