bagram

The notorious case of Bagram detainees

In this episode, Ayesha Malik, Research Research Fellow at the Research Society of International Law, sits down with Sarah Belal, Executive Director Justice Project Pakistan, to discuss the plight of Pakistani detainees at Bagram. 

Watch this episode in video

Where were you 20-years ago when the U.S. war in Afghanistan began? It was September 11, 2001, and al Qaeda terrorists hijacked and crashed two American Airlines passenger jets into the Twin Towers, another into the Pentagon, and a fourth, a United Airlines jet bound for the Capitol Building or the White House, was crashed into a field in Shanksville, PA. That day, 2,997 Americans were murdered by Muslim extremists and three days later, standing at Ground Zero in New York City, President George W. Bush reassured the American people that “I can hear you, the rest of the world can hear you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.” Thus, with a promise of revenge for our fallen, the wheels were set in motion and a few days later Congress authorized what was to become the Global War on Terror. A war that would consume four presidential administrations and extract a monumental toll in blood and treasure. Now, we’ve left Afghanistan, and in many ways, we’ve left the country in much worse shape than we found it. It’s certainly a more dangerous place now than it was two decades ago. Many veterans who served during this time, especially those who served in-country, are angrily scratching their heads and asking themselves, was it worth it? what was it all for? Let’s talk about it.

Once again, friend-of-the-show Christof Ambroch takes the co-pilot seat in this episode. Regular listeners of this podcast know Christof; he is the producer and host of Tales of Honor, a podcast with a mission to tell the story of every recipient of the Medal of Honor, as well as the Professional American podcast, where he covers it all, from business ownership, to family life, to car stuff, and more!

Show notes at https://thedigressionpodcast.com/61

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My hot take on the situation in Afghanistan. 

Highlights:

-Why couldn't we have maintained a presence at Bagram, even if we pulled out everywhere else (think Guantanamo and Cuba).

-Biden had more flexibility than he claimed.

-It feels like this might lead to a loss of confidence similar to what we experienced after Vietnam

-The effect on our allies may be the worst consequence of our withdrawal.