Afghanistan
Was the Las Vegas Bombing a Case of the Afghan War Coming Home?
Matthew Livelsberger’s alleged manifesto highlights an infamous U.S. drug raid.
Biden's Transformation From a Dove to a Hawk
From Afghanistan to Ukraine to Israel, Biden's was a presidency defined by contradictions on peace and interventionism.
Trump's Reported National Security Advisor Supports Bombing Russia and Afghanistan
Mike Waltz has called for a “credible military option” against Iran, wants to “take the handcuffs off” Ukraine, and regrets ending the "multi-generational war" in Afghanistan.
Harris and Trump Say They Want Peace. But Neither Has a Plan.
Kamala Harris couldn’t realistically say how she would end the war in Gaza, and Donald Trump couldn’t realistically say how he would end the war in Ukraine.
The Best of Reason: The Afghan Allies Left Behind in the Graveyard of Empires
Thousands of people who helped the U.S. in Afghanistan are still looking for an escape.
The Afghan Allies Left Behind in the Graveyard of Empires
Thousands of people who helped the U.S. in Afghanistan are still looking for an escape.
Biden Brags That 'the United States Is Not at War' As He Bombs Yemen
The wars aren’t over. America is still fighting—directly and indirectly—in the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe.
Biden's Race-Ending Debate Performance Was So Bad That It Eclipsed Trump's Flagrant Falsehoods
Voters should not dismiss the former president's utter disregard for the truth as a personal quirk or standard political practice.
Trump Wishes Americans Stayed in Afghanistan To Fight China
The president who helped end America’s longest war now regrets leaving behind U.S. bases.
Review: Blowback Podcast Exhumes the Seeds of the Afghan Conflict
Hosts Noah Kulwin and Brendan James explain how proxy war fighters can become America's enemies.
How Obama Gave Trump the 'Military-Age Males' Talking Point
The same tactics used to justify drone strikes are now being used to demonize immigrant men.
Overview of the Successes and Limitations of Private Migrant Sponsorship Programs
Reason immigration writer Fiona Harrigan surveys the growth of private migrant sponsorship programs. They have had impressive successes, but still suffer from unfortunte limitations.
Biden Touts More Forever Wars, Breaking His 2021 Promises
In his State of the Union address, Biden promised indefinite U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, and beyond.
Annie Duke: Quitting Is Totally Underrated
The psychologist and poker champion says too many of us don't understand the power of knowing when to walk away.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences (Vol. 13): Gun Buybacks, Poppy Payday, CAFE Standards
Good intentions, bad results
Review: The Covenant Dramatizes the Plight of Afghan Interpreters
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in a film that criticizes the U.S. immigration system.
Can Traditional Legal Customs Coexist With Western-Style State Law?
Geoffrey Swenson’s book Contending Orders tackles Afghanistan and Timor-Leste.
Time to Pass the Afghan Adjustment Act
Congress should grant permanent residency to Afghans who came to the US fleeing the fall of their country to the brutal Taliban regime.
Jacob Siegel: 'Disinformation' Is the Hoax of the Century
From Russiagate to COVID discourse, elites in government and the media are trying to control and centralize free speech and open inquiry.
Biden Administration Plans to Extend Residency and Work Permits for Afghans Who Came to US Under Parole Status
The policy will protect thousands of Afghan refugees against imminent prospect of deportation. Same should be done for Ukrainians and others admitted to US using the parole power. But a permanent solution to this problem requires Congress to pass an adjustment act.
My New Boston Globe Article on the Urgent Need to Pass Legislation Granting Permanent Residency Rights to Ukrainian Migrants and Others Admitted by Using the President's Parole Power
This can easily be accomplished by Congess enacting an adjustment act.
Biden's Foreign Policy Is Adrift
His State of the Union address sketched a foreign policy that is reckless on some points, relatively restrained on others, and utterly uninterested in any real resolution to America’s lingering military entanglements.
New House Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul Is a Standard Old-School Interventionist
Kevin McCarthy's pick to lead the House Foreign Affairs Committee evades any post-Trump humbleness in foreign policy.
The U.S. Is Entangled in Ukraine for the Long Haul
Accountability, diplomacy, and planning are essential for preventing a forever proxy war.
Saving Nezam From the Taliban
Green Beret Scott Mann suffered severe trauma following his three tours in Afghanistan. He never wanted to have anything to do with country again. Then his friend Nezam called to say that his life was in danger.
Welcome to the Post-Post-9/11 Era
But a few remnants of post-9/11 foreign and domestic policy still need to be thrown out.
How To Waste $1 Trillion
Why should we believe that this boondoggle will produce better results than hundreds of other corporate welfare programs?
A Year After the U.S. Withdrawal, Getting Out of Afghanistan Was Still the Right Call
Biden brought an unwinnable war to an end. But the lessons learned are only as valuable as the U.S. government’s willingness to put them to good use.
'We Have No Hope for the Future': The Afghan Helpers America Left Behind
One year after the U.S. withdrawal, tens of thousands of Afghans who assisted American forces are still stuck under Taliban rule.
Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act To Help Afghan Evacuees Stay in the U.S.
But thousands of Afghans who helped U.S. forces are still stuck in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
U.S. Kills Al Qaeda Leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri. Will It Matter?
Plus: Judge rejects "terrorism" label for January 6 defendant, dozens of abortion clinics have closed since June, FTC staff recommended against Meta lawsuit, and more...
Fiona Harrigan: Why Utah Republicans Bucked Trump and Biden on Afghan Refugees
Assistant Editor Fiona Harrigan explores why the Beehive State might be uniquely suited to welcome Afghan refugees.
Utah Wants To Help Afghan Refugees Prosper. Will the Federal Government Get in the Way?
The federal government set the tone on the beginning of the resettlement process. It continues to keep legal status for certain evacuees out of reach.
U.S. Spent Over $21 Billion on Afghan Police, Got 'Barely Qualified Mall Guards'
New SIGAR findings shine a light on America’s dysfunctional efforts to train the Afghan National Police, which “actually contributed to increasing criminality” in Afghanistan.
Destroying Islamic Fundamentalism With Books
Ideas Beyond Borders is bringing ideas about pluralism, civil liberties, and critical thinking to hotbeds of Islamic extremism.
A Double Standard Between Ukrainian and Afghan Refugees?
Critics allege, with some justice, that the Biden Administration is treating the former more favorably than the latter. If so, the right solution is to increase openness to Afghans and others fleeing war and repression, not bar more Ukrainians.
Faisal Saeed Al Mutar, Melissa Chen: Bringing Enlightenment Values to the Middle East
The co-founders of Ideas Beyond Borders talk about bringing Steven Pinker and John Stuart Mill to an audience dying for them.
Ukraine and Double Standards on Refugees
Critics are right to point out that some Western nations are treating Ukrainian refugees better than those fleeing similar horrific situations elsewhere. But the right way to address the problem is to increase openness to other refugees, not exclude Ukrainians.
Travis Peterson on America's Afghan Allies
America has wrongly abandoned thousands of Afghan allies who had been promised Special Immigrant Visas. Now, private citizens, veterans, and government personnel are trying to get them out.
In Afghanistan, Private Aid Fills Void Left by Bureaucratic Failure
Small, private groups are working to feed the hungry and evacuate the endangered.
Risking Their Lives to Rescue Afghans Left Behind
Inside the volunteer effort to save the stranded men and women who worked with the U.S. military
'Fear Is the Tool of Totalitarians': Ron Paul on War, Money, and the Libertarian Moment
The former Texas congressman and presidential candidate says his goal was to get people to think about freedom.
Biden Administration To Protect Afghans in the U.S. From Deportation
Those already in the U.S. as of March 15 may also work legally for the next 18 months.
The Stossel State of the Union
"If I do my job right, you should barely know I'm here."
