The Bottom Line

Every year for 20 years, United States officials justified the war in Afghanistan as worthy and winnable. But after the deadline to withdraw was made, the same officials watched in shock and awe as the Taliban retook their country within days.

Former national security adviser John Bolton and other conservative critics of the Joe Biden administration argue that the US should have stayed in Afghanistan indefinitely, and warn against making any deals with the Taliban.

Host Steve Clemons asks Bolton what the US could ever hope to achieve with a perpetual presence in Afghanistan.

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Every year for 20 years, United States officials justified the war in Afghanistan as worthy and winnable. But after the deadline to withdraw was made, the same officials watched in shock and awe as the Taliban retook their country within days.

Former national security adviser John Bolton and other conservative critics of the Joe Biden administration argue that the US should have stayed in Afghanistan indefinitely, and warn against making any deals with the Taliban.

Host Steve Clemons asks Bolton what the US could ever hope to achieve with a perpetual presence in Afghanistan.

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Despite scepticism from many people, the appetite for cryptocurrencies has grown to a market valuation of $2 trillion. There is no going back, according to South African internet entrepreneur Vinny Lingham.

Lingham tells host Steve Clemons that crypto could “decimate” the traditional banking system if they were on a level playing field.

No amount of government crackdown, whether from China or the United States, can stop people from using the internet to innovate and cut out the middlemen, Lingham says. And it is inevitable that cryptocurrencies force banks to rethink their purpose, just as the internet forced newspapers to rethink their business models.

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Despite scepticism from many people, the appetite for cryptocurrencies has grown to a market valuation of $2 trillion. There is no going back, according to South African internet entrepreneur Vinny Lingham.

Lingham tells host Steve Clemons that crypto could “decimate” the traditional banking system if they were on a level playing field.

No amount of government crackdown, whether from China or the United States, can stop people from using the internet to innovate and cut out the middlemen, Lingham says. And it is inevitable that cryptocurrencies force banks to rethink their purpose, just as the internet forced newspapers to rethink their business models.

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The United States leaves Afghanistan as the Taliban seem to be retaking control of the entire country, city by city.

So what becomes of the government that Washington propped up and the military that it trained?

Andrew Bacevich, president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and a retired colonel in the US Army, tells host Steve Clemons that Washington was blinded by its imperialistic notions that Afghanistan was in dire need of American intervention. And Afghanistan analyst Hashim Wahdatyar warns that Pakistan’s alliance with the Taliban does not bode well for the future of the region.

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The United States leaves Afghanistan as the Taliban seem to be retaking control of the entire country, city by city.

So what becomes of the government that Washington propped up and the military that it trained?

Andrew Bacevich, president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and a retired colonel in the US Army, tells host Steve Clemons that Washington was blinded by its imperialistic notions that Afghanistan was in dire need of American intervention. And Afghanistan analyst Hashim Wahdatyar warns that Pakistan’s alliance with the Taliban does not bode well for the future of the region.

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Dissidents, politicians, journalists, business leaders - all have been targeted by intelligence agencies using Pegasus, Israeli spyware that can extract all data from phones without the users’ knowledge.

A global investigation called the Pegasus Project is shedding light on the scope and tactics of the hacking software.

Host Steve Clemons speaks with one of the co-authors of the project, Washington Post journalist Dana Priest, along with one of the main sponsors of the project, Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard, and John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher with Citizen Lab, which first exposed the work of Pegasus five years ago.

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Dissidents, politicians, journalists, business leaders - all have been targeted by intelligence agencies using Pegasus, Israeli spyware that can extract all data from phones without the users’ knowledge.

A global investigation called the Pegasus Project is shedding light on the scope and tactics of the hacking software.

Host Steve Clemons speaks with one of the co-authors of the project, Washington Post journalist Dana Priest, along with one of the main sponsors of the project, Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard, and John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher with Citizen Lab, which first exposed the work of Pegasus five years ago.

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One nuclear bomb can wipe out almost half a million people, yet the United States and Russia have thousands of these weapons. And seven other countries have created atomic bombs as well.

There is no way to reverse time and get rid of these weapons, and countries will spend billions to maintain and upgrade their arsenals, but to what end?

Steve Clemons talks about US nuclear strategy with former Congressman John Tierney, the executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of The National Interest.

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One nuclear bomb can wipe out almost half a million people, yet the United States and Russia have thousands of these weapons. And seven other countries have created atomic bombs as well.

There is no way to reverse time and get rid of these weapons, and countries will spend billions to maintain and upgrade their arsenals, but to what end?

Steve Clemons talks about US nuclear strategy with former Congressman John Tierney, the executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of The National Interest.

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