Jon and Matt were honored to speak with Dr. Anand Gopal about some of the  false assumptions  Americans hold about the United States' war in Afghanistan. Anand is a journalist, Assistant Research Professor at the Center on the Future of War at ASU. Fellow with the International Security Program at the New America Foundation, and Author of No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban and the War Through Afghan Eyes

Discussed in this Episode:

- Anand's background and unconventional route to becoming a journalist and author covering America's wars

- Some relevant history regarding Afghanistan

- The truth about the Taliban and Al Qaeda relationship

- The Taliban vs. the Northern Alliance: Who exactly was the US aligned with and who was it fighting?

- Why the war was totally avoidable to begin with, and even after it started could have been over by December 2001 

- Anand's lack of surprise about the revelations of the Afghanistan Papers

- Countering the excuses for why the US continues to occupy Afghanistan. (terrorism, treatment of women) 

- Anand's hopes for Afghanistan's future

Dr. Gopal's Work: Please Support Him!

Anand's Book:No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes

Recent Article in the New Yorker: America's War on Syrian Civilians

Our Work:

Read our "In the Context of Empire" blog with corresponding and expanded posts to this content!

Social Media: Twitter- @Mattylongruns.