Thinking In a Pandemic | Boston Review

A Political and Literary Forum

Menu Search
Donate Shop Join

Afghanistan

War & Security

Getting Counterinsurgency Wrong

Washington Post reporting exposed that U.S. operations in Afghanistan were horribly mismanaged, but even a well-run mission would have been doomed to fail.

Ethan Bueno de Mesquita

War & Security

How Do We End the Never-Ending Wars?

Wars may begin like they always have, but they no longer end as they once did. We need an ethics of war termination to hold politicians accountable.

Elad Uzan

Class & Inequality

Afghanistan's Misguided Economy

In 1978, Afghanistan had achieved food security for a population of 15 million. Today, Afghanistan is extremely dependent on aid and imports. 

Graciana del Castillo

Global Justice, War & Security

The Cost of Our Drone War in Pakistan

Ambassador Akbar Ahmed discusses the findings of his research into U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan and their effects on the region.

Wajahat Ali

Forum

Discussion: War Is Betrayal, Redux

Any story of war is a story of elites preying on the weak, the gullible, the marginal, the poor.

Chris Hedges

War & Security

Fighting over the Same Ground

An Interview with Rajiv Chandrasekaran

David V. Johnson

War & Security

Straight Shooter

Coming home after Navy Seal duty.

Matt Gallagher

Forum

Regime Change Doesn't Work

History shows that forcing rulers from power rarely works. Even apparently successful regime changes often leads to bitter civil war.

Alexander B. Downes

War & Security

End of the Road

News of Osama bin Laden’s killing by U.S. special forces at a compound near the Pakistani capital of Islamabad has sunk in. News of al Qaeda’s demise, on the other hand, has not.

Fawaz A. Gerges

War & Security

Counterinsurgency’s Comeback

Can a colonialist strategy be reinvented?

Nasser Hussain

Forum

Something from Nothing

Counterinsurgency doesn’t make sense. It asks soldiers, concerned primarily with survival, to be Wyatt Earp and Mother Theresa.

Nir Rosen

War & Security

A Tribe Apart

Afghan elites face a corrosive past.

Barnett R. Rubin

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Vital reading on politics, literature, and more in your inbox

Love Boston Review?

Then you’ll love our new membership program! Join us to support engaged discussion on critical issues. You’ll also enjoy exclusive membership benefits.
Get Started

Copyright © 1993-2020 Boston Review and its authors.

Support Boston Review

Become a Member

Make a tax-deductible donation today

Boston Review Printing Note: For best printing results try turning on any options your web browser's print dialog makes available for printing backgrounds and background graphics.