January 6. 2022
Back to the USSR?
But could it be that Putin means something quite different - and that for him and his generation of Russians the USSR is a shorthand for an era of lost stability and respect? Is Putin just tactless, or actually dangerous?
The Brilliant but Troubling TV Epic
Stierlitz's mission is a moral crusade — to stop a deal between the West and Nazi Germany "za spinoi" (behind the back) of Moscow. This idea has immense resonance in modern Russia, where Putin repeatedly claims Russia has been stabbed in the back by the West without consultation, notably over NATO's eastward expansion.
Stuart Williams
October 13. 2021
Ukraine Embraces its Jewish Minority, and Reckons with its Traumatic History
Add it all up, and Ukraine's Jews are witnessing an unprecedented embrace. "Jews are more accepted today in Ukraine than at any time in its history," said David Fishman, a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America who teaches in Kyiv and has written about Ukraine's Jews.
David Lepeska
August 30. 2021
Taliban, the Next Generation: an Interview with Anas Haqqani
Anas Haqqani, the youngest son of a jihadist commander who fought the Russians and the Americans, tells Newlines that the Taliban has learned from its mistakes. But can the Taliban leave their brutal past behind?
Ahmed-Waleed Kakar
How America Lost Afghanistan
Over its 10 years of aiding the mujahedeen, the U.S. learned nothing about the nuances of Afghanistan's people, history or culture — a problem that would continue to plague most of our actions for the 20 years the U.S. spent in Afghanistan.
Thomas H. Johnson,
Larry P. Goodson
April 27. 2021
The Soviet Origins of Putin's Mercenaries
Where did the notorious Wagner Group come from, and why has Vladimir Putin relied so heavily on Russian mercenaries in the last decade? Ruslan Trad argues it's because they're good for business, and they have a proven track record — from Soviet-occupied Afghanistan.
Ruslan Trad
What the CIA Did (and Didn't Do) in Soviet-Occupied Afghanistan
Western leftists think the CIA created al Qaeda by helping the mujahideen shoot down Russian helicopters. They're wrong. The CIA program to arm anti-Soviet Afghan mujahideen with Stinger missiles saved lives.
Emran Feroz