Podcasts about afghanistan reconstruction

Greg Olear talks to Candace Rondeaux about her book “Putin's Sledgehammer,” which delves into the Wagner Group mercenary group and the complexities of Russia's political landscape. Rondeaux shares her background in journalism and her journey into understanding Russian geopolitics, particularly through the lens of the Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. The discussion covers the origins of the Wagner Group, Prigozhin's rise and fall, the influence of figures like Alexander Dugin, and the implications of the Internet Research Agency's actions during the 2016 election. Rondeaux also reflects on US policy failures regarding Russia and the future of democracy in Ukraine, the US, and beyond.Candace Rondeaux directs Future Frontlines, a public intelligence service for next generation security and democratic resilience, and the Planetary Politics initiative at the New America Foundation. A writer and public-policy analyst, Rondeaux is a professor of practice and fellow at the Melikian Center for Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies and the Center on the Future of War at Arizona State University. Before joining New America, Rondeaux served as a senior program officer at the U.S. Institute of Peace where she launched the RESOLVE Network, a global research consortium on conflict and violent extremism and as a strategic advisor to the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. Rondeaux has documented and analyzed political violence in South Asia, and around the world for the Washington Post and the International Crisis Group. Before going abroad for the Post in 2009, Rondeaux covered criminal justice in Maryland and Virginia, where she covered capital punishment and was part of the Pulitzer Prize winning team of Post reporters who covered the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre. Buy the book:https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/candace-rondeaux/putins-sledgehammer/9781541703063/?lens=publicaffairsFollow Candace:https://x.com/CandaceRondeauxhttps://bsky.app/profile/CandaceRondeaux.bsky.socialMake America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg's new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Would you like to tell us more about you? http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

On this week's episode of Security Dilemma, John Allen Gay and A.J. Manuzzi spoke with Candace Rondeaux, the author of Putin's Sledgehammer: The Wagner Group and Russia's Collapse into Mercenary Chaos. She serves as the Senior Director for the Future Frontlines and Planetary Politics programs at New America, and is a professor of practice at Arizona State University. Previously, she advised the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction and served as the South Asia bureau chief for The Washington Post. Our conversation today discussed the origins of the Wagner Group, the role of mercenaries in Russia's national security strategy, and more. You can purchase the book, which was released May 13, here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/candace-rondeaux/putins-sledgehammer/9781541703087/?lens=publicaffairs

After spending two decades in Afghanistan, the government has accumulated a lot of lessons learned. In fact, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, has published 13 chapters of lessons learned. The latest one concerns personnel practices in Afghanistan activities. Basically, everyone who ever worked there said personnel practices were terrible. We get more now from SIGAR's deputy director for lessons learned, David Young. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After spending two decades in Afghanistan, the government has accumulated a lot of lessons learned. In fact, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, has published 13 chapters of lessons learned. The latest one concerns personnel practices in Afghanistan activities. Basically, everyone who ever worked there said personnel practices were terrible. We get more now from SIGAR's deputy director for lessons learned, David Young. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this enlightening episode of The Digital Executive, host Brian Thomas engages with Refael Kubersky, a distinguished figure in international relations with a rich background working for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction and a passion for migration technology and the global rise of populism. A Georgetown School of Foreign Service alumnus, Kubersky shares his journey from public policy to documentary filmmaking, highlighting the human impacts of U.S. foreign policy through his work on the documentary "Allies Left Behind," which sheds light on the plight of Afghans who assisted the U.S. during its two-decade presence in Afghanistan but were left behind due to bureaucratic visa processes.Kubersky also delves into the critical role of technology in diplomacy and global governance, exemplified by the U.S. research monkey shortage crisis post-COVID-19, underscoring the importance of international cooperation and technological advancements in addressing global challenges. Through his experiences and insights, Kubersky offers invaluable advice for those aspiring to enter the field of international relations, emphasizing the importance of broad experiences, understanding foreign cultures, and the critical analysis of technology's influence on information dissemination and public policy. Join us as we explore the intersections of technology, accountability, and global diplomacy with Refael Kubersky on The Digital Executive.

Sometimes the Beltway lingo collapses under the weight of its own idiocy. Yesterday was such a day when Congressman Michael Waltz asked USAID Director Samantha Powers if U.S. money was going to terrorists in Afghanistan. The Director reframed his "yes or no" question into "Congressman, I think you are asking for more visibility into the granularity' of U.N. controls on American aid dollars." He wasn't, and he said so, but wow, what a phrase. Plus Senator Josh Hawley talks about his new book "Manhood."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction says the State Dept. is guilty of "the worst I have seen in transparency” in his 20 years of bipartisan oversight. Subscribe to my two podcasts: “The Sharyl Attkisson Podcast” and “Full Measure After Hours.” Leave a review, subscribe and share with your friends! Support independent journalism by visiting the new Sharyl Attkisson store. Order “Slanted: How the News Media Taught Us to Love Censorship and Hate Journalism” by Sharyl Attkisson at Harper Collins, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, IndieBound, Bookshop! Visit JustTheNews.com, SharylAttkisson.com and www.FullMeasure.news for original reporting. Do your own research. Make up your own mind. Think for yourself.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On COI #391, Kyle Anzalone and Connor Freeman discuss the former Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction's comments that Washington is making the same mistakes it did in Afghanistan as a result of pouring tens of billions of dollars in aid and weapons into Ukraine, the latest Ukrainian drone attacks inside the Russian mainland, the US Congress reaffirming its support for starvation sanctions on Syria in the wake of an earthquake which killed thousands, the US-Israeli ramp-up for war with Iran, and the increase in major European anti war protests. Odysee Rumble  Donate LBRY Credits bTTEiLoteVdMbLS7YqDVSZyjEY1eMgW7CP Donate Bitcoin 36PP4kT28jjUZcL44dXDonFwrVVDHntsrk Donate Bitcoin Cash Qp6gznu4xm97cj7j9vqepqxcfuctq2exvvqu7aamz6 Patreon Subscribe Star YouTube Facebook  Twitter  MeWe Apple Podcast  Amazon Music Google Podcasts Spotify iHeart Radio

On COI #391, Kyle Anzalone and Connor Freeman discuss the former Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction's comments that Washington is making the same mistakes it did in Afghanistan as a result of pouring tens of billions of dollars in aid and weapons into Ukraine, the latest Ukrainian drone attacks inside the Russian mainland, the US Congress reaffirming its support for starvation sanctions on Syria in the wake of an earthquake which killed thousands, the US-Israeli ramp-up for war with Iran, and the increase in major European anti war protests.

Bill Gates has acquired a minority stake in Heineken Holding NV, the controlling shareholder of the world's second-largest brewer, for about $902 million. A report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction found President Joe Biden's deadly Afghan withdrawal in 2021 left at least $7.2 billion worth of military equipment under Taliban control, including missiles, aircraft, biometric devices, and communications gear. According to historian and filmmaker Amity Shlaes, modern America under President Joe Biden is not all that different from the America that then-President Calvin Coolidge, a Republican, faced when he took office in 1923. Plus more on today's episode.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction issued his report on the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling America's longest war a $145 billion failure. 5) SIGAR calls 20-year Afghanistan adventure a “total, epic, predestined failure”; 4) Target reports $600 million drop in gross margin this year due to “organized retail crime”; 3) San Francisco can't keep streets clean, but launches guaranteed income program for transgenders; 2) Pfizer and Moderna launch trials to determine long-term side effects to COVID jabs; 1) Sheep at farm in China mysteriously walk in clockwise circle for twelve days without stopping.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction issued his report on the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling America's longest war a $145 billion failure.5) SIGAR calls 20-year Afghanistan adventure a “total, epic, predestined failure”; 4) Target reports $600 million drop in gross margin this year due to “organized retail crime”; 3) San Francisco can't keep streets clean, but launches guaranteed income program for transgenders; 2) Pfizer and Moderna launch trials to determine long-term side effects to COVID jabs; 1) Sheep at farm in China mysteriously walk in clockwise circle for twelve days without stopping.

This episode contemplates lessons learned from America’s twenty years of war in Afghanistan. To do so, we're joined by Dr. Carter Malkasian, author of The American War in Afghanistan: A History, and James Cunningham, a senior analyst with SIGAR—the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. The discuss whether, in the year following the US withdrawal, the United States and its allies have sufficiently reflected on lessons learned from the war. They then describe various reasons why the intervention in Afghanistan failed, based on their extensive research and on-the-ground experience—to include multiple lessons from SIGAR reporting and Dr. Malkasian’s argument that the Taliban won because it fought for values close to what it means to be Afghan, including religion and resistance to occupation. Our guests conclude with policy implications we can draw from twenty years of strategy that ultimately resulted in failure. Intro music: "Unsilenced" by Ketsa Outro music: "Launch" by Ketsa CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, known by its initials as SIGAR, released an interim report last week on the reasons for the collapse of the Afghan army. To break down the report's findings, Bryce Klehm spoke with Dr. Jonathan Schroden, the research program director at the Center for Naval Analysis. Dr. Schroden is a longtime analyst of the Afghan military and has deployed or traveled to Afghanistan 13 times since 2003. He is quoted and cited several times in the latest report. They spoke about a range of topics covered in the report, including the U.S.'s efforts to build an Afghan army, the Afghan government's decisions that contributed to the collapse and the Taliban's highly effective military campaign.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Biden administration pulled U.S. troops and pretty much everything else out of Afghanistan months ago. But the work of the Special Inspector for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, goes on. There's humanitarian aid flowing into Afghanistan. And still things to account for. The Federal Drive got an update from the special IG, John Sopko.

State Department's IG launching investigations into Biden's Afghanistan withdrawalState Department IG to probe Biden admin's chaotic Afghanistan withdrawalThe State Department's inspector general is launching a series of investigations into the Biden administration's last diplomatic moves in Afghanistan.The reviews will focus on the State Department's Special Immigrant Visa program, Afghans processed for refugee admission into the U.S., resettlement of refugees and visa recipients, and the emergency evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, according to an Oct. 15 memo to Secretary of State Blinken first reported by Politico and confirmed by Fox News.Diana Shaw, the acting inspector general at State, told Congress that her office was launching "several oversight projects" related to the end of the U.S. military and diplomatic missions in Afghanistan. "Given the elevated interest in this work by Congress and the unique circumstances requiring coordination across the Inspector General community, I wanted to notify our committees of jurisdiction of this important work," Shaw wrote in a letter to the foreign affairs and intelligence committees of both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.Other inspector's general offices, including those at the Department of Defense and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, are also likely to launch similar probes of the withdrawal, Politico reported.https://www.spreaker.com/user/9922149/state-departments-ig-launching-investiga#GoRight with Peter BoykinGoRightNews.com

The Taliban raided an ISIS-affiliated hideout in the Afghan capital Kabul killing several insurgents, hours after a deadly bombing outside the Eid Gah mosque on Sunday that left at least five people dead. No one has taken responsibility for the blast, but the rival ISIS group has ramped up attacks against the Taliban, including the Aug. 26 bombing that killed more than 169 Afghans and 13 US military personnel outside Kabul airport.Related: Former adviser Sarah Chayes: The US failed to understand how Afghans wage warThough many people dread the harsh elements of Taliban rule, the group does not bring with it a reputation of being corrupt — a stark contrast to the government it ousted — which was notoriously rife with bribery, embezzlement and graft.Related: The Taliban want international recognition. Countries are debating.The US has invested some $2 trillion in Afghanistan. Corruption and mismanagement plagued the efforts from the start.One US government agency charged with overseeing money used to rebuild Afghanistan is called SIGAR, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.John Sopko, who has led SIGAR since 2012, joined The World's host Marco Werman from Washington to discuss the years of mismanagement in the country.Marco Werman: Inspector general, your job is to sound the alarm when funds are being misused. Tell us in brief what your agency actually does.John Sopko: We're one of the independent inspectors general created by Congress. And we have audit and criminal investigative authority. And our job, as you rightfully noted, was to ferret out waste, fraud, abuse in the money spent in Afghanistan, as well as to give advice to Congress on any administration on the problems we found and how to fix them.So, knowing what you knew over the years in Afghanistan, tell me about your reaction when you saw the Taliban take over the country in August.I have to be honest, although we had predicted problems and major problems for the 10 years I'd been there with the Afghan military and the government, I think we were surprised, just like everybody else, at the speed to which the government and the military collapsed. And not only surprise, but also shock and sadness, because we knew what it meant for a lot of Afghans we had worked with over those years.In the report, SIGAR talks extensively about corruption. Can you highlight what was going on and could the US have done more to prevent it?I think the US, and we highlighted the US could have done a lot more, and actually the US contributed a lot to the corruption in Afghanistan, because we spent too much money, too fast in too small a country, with too little oversight. So, the corruption was really endemic, and we're not talking about corruption like you may see in the United States or Europe or elsewhere. We're talking about corruption that's actually baked into the system there. Money was being stolen from us and from all the other allies who contributed for years from the top, all the way down to the bottom. So, what was the attitude of the Afghan government to this kind of thing that would inevitably lead to dysfunction?The Afghan government did not take an active response to our criticism on corruption. And I think, in part, because the corruption was so endemic. They were very good at checking the box. They would create an organization, hold a conference, rename something. We were really upset, and repeatedly talked about this in our reports, with not only the [Ashraf] Ghani government, but the [Hamid] Karzai government before that. Now, this doesn't mean there weren't some honest cops — Afghan cops and prosecutors and parliamentarians and judges who tried to do something — but overall, it was a pretty pathetic response to fight corruption in that country.And what impact did that have on the government's ability to repel the Taliban ultimately?Well, ultimately it contributed to the Taliban's success, because what happened is, the Afghan people saw how corrupt and incompetent their government was, and they saw it wasn't improving. So, they lost respect for the government and support for the government. They also saw that our government was giving that money to those corrupt officials and those corrupt contractors and those corrupt warlords. So, we lost support. I imagine, John Sopko, calling this stuff out over the past decade has not made you the most popular man in Washington. How have administration officials and members of Congress responded to your reports?A lot of members of Congress responded positively and have been very supportive of us and have actually recognized, over the years, what we were doing and the warnings we were giving. Some people in the administration have done that and been very responsive. But once you start a war, it's hard to stop, and once you're in there for 20 years, then it's like changing a ship in the water, trying to slowly move it. We had some successes, but obviously, a lot of things were not taken to heart by some of the administration people. And there there was a groundswell of opposition to some of the ideas we came up with. When we first highlighted the problem of ghost soldiers and ghost police, there were a lot of nameless, faceless bureaucrats who whispered to congressmen and senators and staffers that, "Oh, SIGAR was exaggerating." Well, turned out, we weren't. And it turned out, even the Afghans admitted, for example, right before the collapse, that over 50% of the police in Helmand and other provinces never existed. So, the first US mission in Afghanistan was to get rid of al-Qaeda, then came the nation building, then came the surge and a strong desire to leave, but nothing happened until this year. How much do you think that constant pivoting led to a lack of mission focus and more corruption?I mean, the report we came out with, we've been working on summarizing all of our work in what happened over the last 20 years. We've been working on it for a year and it came out, ironically, just a day or two after the collapse of Kabul. That highlighted a number of lessons. We didn't really have a clear, articulated strategy and goal. And so, a lot of things collapsed as a result. So, instead of fighting a 20-year war, doing 20 years of reconstruction, we did it one year at a time. We really never focused our resources on the target. And that also contributed, although I think it's an equal problem, was just a lack of understanding of the political and cultural context of Afghanistan. I mean, we basically empowered the warlords who the Taliban had successfully beaten with the support of the people when we came in. And again, not understanding the context, not understanding the corrupting influence, not understanding how the Afghans hated these people, we empowered them. And, lo and behold, when you go to sleep with dogs, you wake up with fleas. And what we did here is, we made our bed with some very evil, corrupt, powerful individuals in Afghanistan who were hated by the people. So, John, Congress has called for a review of the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and its military. How do you think Congress will react to its own findings? Will officials be more likely to listen this time around?Well, I hope they will. I mean, Congress has asked us to answer a number of critical questions to do these. I mean, they've asked us to explain, "Why did the Afghan military collapse so quickly? Why did the Afghan government collapse so quickly? What happened to all the money that we were shipping over there? Particularly, when did we shut off the spigots of money flowing to Afghanistan? What happened to all the weapons? What is happening to all of the women and girls who we supported and all those programs?" I think they're reaching out to us because we have a track record of speaking truth to power. We have a track record of being non-partisan. We've criticized Democrats, we've criticize Republican administrations. We just state the facts. I think a lot of people in Congress actually think we may be the best organization out there to answer those type of questions. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. AP contributed to this report.

The Honorable David M. Walker joins T.J. O'Hara, host of Deconstructed, to discuss a myriad of issues that are impacting the United States' economy. Mr. Walker is the former Comptroller General of the United States and CEO of the United States Government Accountability Office under Presidents Clinton and Bush (43). Most recently, he served as a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Economics at the United States Naval Academy. Having worked for presidents of both major parties, Mr. Walker is positioned to provide a nonpartisan assessment of what our nation is doing right and what it is doing wrong with respect to the economy. The discussion begins with the debt ceiling. What is the potential impact of the debt ceiling, which has become a recurring crisis? Should there even be a debt ceiling, or is there a more intelligent way to address the challenge? Mr. Walker clarifies the issue and offers insight into what could be done to address it in a rational way if our federally elected officials were willing to surrender using it as a political pawn. He also highlights the significant difference between our nation's funded and unfunded liabilities and provides an example at just how much “debt” each of us technically carries in that regard. Mr. Walker also examines our interest rate vulnerability and the potential inflationary spiral of the multi-trillion-dollar bills that are pending in the Legislative Branch. He shares his perspective of the pros and cons of the Infrastructure Bill and the Spending Bill that are coming up for votes. Then, the conversation turns to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Walker talks about the way the vaccination issue has been managed and offers insights into the actual statistics. He also offers suggestions for what might be a more equitable approach that would benefit everyone. Finally, T.J. asks about Afghanistan within the context of the SIGAR Reports that have been generated by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. While the Special Inspector General was not a direct report to the Government Accountability Office during Mr. Walker's tenure as CEO, he did have visibility to the reports from 2003 to 2008. He reveals the disconnect between the initial mission in Afghanistan versus the untenable mission into which it evolved. He also evaluates the orchestration of the recent evacuation, including underreported elements such as the “pallets of cash” that were left behind. He also suggests the United States' international failures predate Afghanistan (beginning with Iraq). Listen to Mr. Walker's candid, inside assessment of our nation's economic challenges: those that occur naturally… and those that the Government manufacturers on our behalf. (Note: This interview was prerecorded. Prior to publication, Congress may have acted on some of the issues that were discussed.)

We welcome Kate Bateman, @katebatemandc), senior expert in the Afghanistan program of the United States Institute of Peace (https://www.usip.org/regions/asia/afghanistan), formerly in the Lessons Learned Program at Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (www.sigar.mil) Quarterly report by SIGAR: https://www.sigar.mil/quarterlyreports/index.aspx?SSR=6 Corruption lessons learned report : https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/lessonslearned/SIGAR-16-58-LL.pdf Building the ANDSF lessons learned report: https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/lessonslearned/SIGAR-17-62-LL.pdf most recent Lesson Learned report “What We Need to Learn,” distilling the insights of previous reports: https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/lessonslearned/SIGAR-21-46-LL.pdf Books by Sarah Chayes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Chayes#Books_and_other_works Previous Kickback Episode on the role of Corruption in Afghanistan: https://soundcloud.com/kickback-gap/59-jodi-vittori-on-corruption-and-the-us-military-operation-in-afghanistan Recommended Podcast from Kate: https://www.cna.org/news/podcast Episodes 96 and 97.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://donnyferguson.com/2021/09/17/comer-donalds-request-declassified-quarterly-reports-on-afghanistan-reconstruction-and-operation-freedoms-sentinel/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/donny-ferguson/message

In this bonus "thank you" episode for producers, Jen starts off the episode with an addendum to Losing Afghanistan before thanking producers and filling everyone in on the magnificence of the new Raiders stadium. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Background Sources Senator Rand Paul. “SEN. RAND PAUL asks on guy Biden Administration droned, was he an aid worker or a ISIS-K operative?” America News on Youtube. Christoph Koettl, Evan Hill, Matthieu Aikins, Eric Schmitt, Ainara Tiefenthäler and Drew Jordan. September 10, 2021. “How a U.S. Drone Strike Killed the Wrong Person.” The New York Times. Producer-recommended Sources Robert Bryce. September 6, 2021. “Franklin ‘Chuck' Spinney: Author of ‘The Defense Death Spiral.'” The Power Hungry Podcast. Vinay Prasad. September 2, 2021. “The Downsides of Masking Young Students Are Real.” The Atlantic. Glenn Greenwald. August 25, 2021. “The Bizarre Refusal to Apply Cost-Benefit Analysis to COVID Debates.” Glenn Greenwald Substack. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. August 2021. What We Need to Learn: Lessons from twenty years of Afghanistan reconstruction. World Health Organization. August 21, 2020. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Children and masks. March 7, 1983. “U.S. Defense Spending: Are Billions Being Wasted?” Time Magazine. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

In part two of their discussion, CNA counterterrorism experts Alex Powell and Jon Schroden sit down with James Cunningham the lead author for two comprehensive lessons learned reports published by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).  They discuss some positive takeaways from the development of the Afghan National Security Forces and what lessons the U.S. government can learn from Afghanistan. Timestamps by Topic 1:17: Were there effective approaches to developing the Afghan National Security Forces? 7:05: What lessons should the U.S. government learn from Afghanistan? 12:59: Will the U.S. government make any actionable change because of these lessons? Guest Biographies James Cunningham is the lead author and project lead for two comprehensive lessons learned reports published by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction focused on reconstructing the ANDSF.  For over 16 years, James has worked Afghanistan-related issues as a member of the Intelligence community and providing independent oversight of U.S. reconstruction programming. Jonathan Schroden is the Director of CNA's Countering Threats and Challenges Program (CTCP), whose mission is to support US government efforts to better understand and counter state and non-state threats and challenges. Schroden has deployed or traveled to Afghanistan 13 times. Alex Powell is an expert on terrorist group tactics, counterterrorism, and special operations forces (SOF).  He has worked extensively on security issues in Afghanistan, traveling there numerous times to conduct assessments of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. Additional Resources SIGAR Website: https://www.sigar.mil/ Divided Responsibility: Lessons from U.S. Security Sector Assistance Efforts in Afghanistan, June 2019 (https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/lessonslearned/SIGAR-19-39-LL.pdf) Reconstructing the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces: Lessons from the U.S. Experience in Afghanistan, September 2017 (https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/lessonslearned/SIGAR-17-62-LL.pdf)

This week on Le Show, Harry Shearer reads from John F. Sopko's memo, “What We Need to Learn: Lessons from Twenty Years of Afghanistan Reconstruction.”

In this episode, CNA counterterrorism experts Alex Powell and Jon Schroden sit down with James Cunningham the lead author for two comprehensive lessons learned reports published by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).  They discuss the collapse of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in the face of the Taliban offensive, how the Taliban were able to take territory with so little resistance and problems with how the U.S. military trained the ANDSF. Guest Biographies James Cunningham is the lead author and project lead for two comprehensive lessons learned reports published by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction focused on reconstructing the ANDSF.  For over 16 years, James has worked Afghanistan-related issues as a member of the Intelligence community and providing independent oversight of U.S. reconstruction programming. Jonathan Schroden is the Director of CNA's Countering Threats and Challenges Program (CTCP), whose mission is to support US government efforts to better understand and counter state and non-state threats and challenges. Schroden has deployed or traveled to Afghanistan 13 times. Alex Powell is an expert on terrorist group tactics, counterterrorism, and special operations forces (SOF).  He has worked extensively on security issues in Afghanistan, traveling there numerous times to conduct assessments of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. Additional Resources SIGAR Website: https://www.sigar.mil/ Divided Responsibility: Lessons from U.S. Security Sector Assistance Efforts in Afghanistan, June 2019 (https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/lessonslearned/SIGAR-19-39-LL.pdf) Reconstructing the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces: Lessons from the U.S. Experience in Afghanistan, September 2017 (https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/lessonslearned/SIGAR-17-62-LL.pdf)  

"Two years ago he and a team at The Post published a prescient and ground-breaking project called “The Afghanistan Papers,” revealing hundreds of secret interviews with U.S. officials candidly discussing the failures of the war.By Martine PowersThe interviews with some 400 people were part of a project called “Lessons Learned,” undertaken by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, and The Post obtained them after a three-year legal battle. These Afghanistan papers are a secret history of the war, Whitlock tells Martine Powers, and “they contain these frank admissions of how the war was screwed up and that what the American people were being told about the war wasn't true.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/tablet/2021/08/20/afghanistan-papers-revisited/?utm_campaign=ext_rweb&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=extensionSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/TheDarrellmcclainshow)

Would you prefer a reassuring lie about the situation in Afghanistan? Or an uncomfortable truth? In the latest episode of "Right Now with Stephen Kent," Stephen sits down with Fiona Harrigan of Reason magazine to discuss the US withdrawal from Afghanistan; the rise of the Taliban; the media's partisan divide between getting Americans out vs. getting Afghans out; if there was any true reason or justification for US invasion in the first place; and what the future may look like for both Afghanistan and the world. Subscribe to Rightly and catch more details about the episode below. Make sure to sign up for Unfettered, our new newsletter, available now. Newsletter signup: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/rightlyaj/issues/right-now-unfettered-8-20-730588 ---- Content of This Episode ---- 00:00 Episode start 00:05 A little white lie 05:50 Giving the Taliban legitimacy – or not 10:55 Throwing good money after bad 12:57 How to help Afghans now 18:30 Afghans still looking for ways out 21:33 The refugee debate feat. Sasse & Vance 33:00 It didn’t have to be like this 34:21 For Gen Z 9/11 is history, not memory 43:10 Good news on film school and audio books ---- Reading list ----- We Need To Get Afghans Out of Afghanistan Too (Reason) https://reason.com/2021/08/16/we-need-to-get-afghans-out-of-afghanistan-too/Withdrawing From Afghanistan Is Still the Right Thing To Do (Reason) https://reason.com/2021/07/14/withdrawing-from-afghanistan-is-still-the-right-thing-to-do/Denied American Visas, These Afghans Were Forced To Make a Perilous Escape After Helping U.S. Troops for Years (Reason) https://reason.com/2021/07/08/denied-american-visas-these-afghans-were-forced-to-make-a-perilous-escape-after-helping-u-s-troops-for-years/AT WAR WITH THE TRUTH: The Afghanistan Papers, A secret history of the war (Washington Post) https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/investigations/afghanistan-papers/afghanistan-war-confidential-documents/WHAT WE NEED TO LEARN: LESSONS FROM TWENTY YEARS OF AFGHANISTAN RECONSTRUCTION (Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction) https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/lessonslearned/SIGAR-21-46-LL.pdfTony Blair: Why We Must Not Abandon the People of Afghanistan – For Their Sakes and Ours (Tony Blair Institute for Global Change) https://institute.global/tony-blair/tony-blair-why-we-must-not-abandon-people-afghanistan-their-sakes-and-ours---- Plugs for our guests ----Follow Fiona Harrigan: https://twitter.com/Fiona_Harrigan https://reason.com/people/fiona-harrigan/

“Sicherheitshalber” ist der Podcast zur sicherheitspolitischen Lage in Deutschland, Europa und der Welt. In Folge 47 sprechen Thomas Wiegold, Ulrike Franke, Frank Sauer und Carlo Masala natürlich nur über die aktuellen Entwicklungen in Afghanistan. Die Diskussion der vier Podcaster orientiert sich dabei an vier Fragen: Wie kam es zur chaotischen Situation am Flughafen von Kabul? Könnte Europa ohne die USA dort eigentlich überhaupt (weiter) operieren? Was beudetet das Debakel für zukünftige Einsätze der Bundeswehr? Was bedeutet es für die Glaubwürdigkeit des Westens und die Geopolitik in der Region? Abschließend wie immer der “Sicherheitshinweis”, der kurze Fingerzeig auf aktuelle, sicherheitspolitisch einschlägige Themen und Entwicklungen - diesmal mit neuer besorgniserregender Instabilität in Nordafrika, Corona-Impflicht bei US-Streitkräften und Bundeswehr, neuen Überwachungsballons und - mal wieder - dem nuklear angetriebenen Marschflugkörper Russlands. Afghanistan: 00:02:53 Sicherheitshinweise: 00:59:42 Web: https://sicherheitspod.de/ Shop: https://sicherheitshalbershop.myspreadshop.de/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sicherheitspod Erwähnte Literatur: Thema - Afghanistan: Operation Enduring Clusterfuck Folge #43 Afghanistan - was bleibt? https://sicherheitspod.de/2021/05/09/folge-43-afghanistan-was-bleibt-zukunftige-auslandseinsatze-koalitionen-der-willigen-keine-option/ Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, Berichte: https://www.sigar.mil/ Helene Bubrowski und Peter Carstens, Die vielen Schichten der Wahrheit, FAZ, 25.08.2021, https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/kritik-am-bnd-die-vielen-schichten-der-wahrheit-17501340.html Sami Sadat, I Commanded Afghan Troops This Year. We Were Betrayed, New York Times, 25.08.2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/opinion/afghanistan-taliban-army.html David Petraeus: “The Taliban are about to be acquainted with a very harsh reality—that they are broke”, Atlantic Council, 20.08.2021, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/david-petraeus-the-taliban-are-about-to-be-acquainted-with-a-very-harsh-reality-that-they-are-broke/ Mike Jason, What We Got Wrong in Afghanistan, The Atlantic, 12.08.2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/how-america-failed-afghanistan/619740/ Lothar Gries, Afghanistans begehrte Bodenschätze, tagesschau, 18.08.2021, https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/weltwirtschaft/afghanistan-rohstoffe-bodenschaetze-china-101.html Tyler Rogoway, These Are The Military's Options For Extending Evacuations In Afghanistan. None Of Them Are Good, The Drive, 24.08.2021, https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42128/what-the-u-s-militarys-options-look-like-for-extending-evacuations-from-afghanistan Sicherheitshinweise Carlo: Abbruch diplomatischer Beziehungen zwischen Algerien und Marokko https://taz.de/Algerien-kappt-Beziehungen-zu-Marokko/!5791563/ Thomas: Corona-Impflicht für US-Streitkräfte und Bundeswehr https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/pentagon-mandate-covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-approved-79601620 Rike: Überwachungsballon für Bundeswehr-Camp in Niger https://augengeradeaus.net/2021/08/rheinmetall-liefert-und-betreibt-ueberwachungsballon-fuer-bundeswehr-camp-in-niger/ Frank: Russland bereitet weiteren Test des “Burevestnik” Marschflugkörpers vor https://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1212985/russia-resumes-burevestnik-testing/

This week, Americans watched in disbelief as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in a matter of days — and we wondered what Craig Whitlock was thinking. Two years ago he and a team at The Post published a prescient and ground-breaking project called “The Afghanistan Papers,” revealing hundreds of secret interviews with U.S. officials candidly discussing the failures of the war.The interviews with some 400 people were part of a project called “Lessons Learned,” undertaken by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, and The Post obtained them after a three-year legal battle. These Afghanistan papers are a secret history of the war, Whitlock tells Martine Powers, and “they contain these frank admissions of how the war was screwed up and that what the American people were being told about the war wasn't true.” “They really do bring to mind the Pentagon Papers, which were the Defense Department's top-secret history of the Vietnam War,” Whitlock says. These recordings have new resonance this week. Read excerpts from Craig Whitlock's new book, ‟The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War”.Deceptions and lies: What really happened in AfghanistanThe grand illusion: Hiding the truth about the Afghanistan war's ‘conclusion'

In today's Federal Newscast, during its 20 years in Afghanistan, no specific agency had the mindset, expertise or resources to develop the country, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

Even thought the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan is coming to an end, the need for oversight isn't. With billions of federal dollars still flowing into the country, The Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction thinks it'll have plenty of work to do for a long time to come. But how the work gets done will need to change. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu has details.

Started this week with an update on the Myanmar coup protests, with reports of dozens of unarmed civilian protesters killed, and then got into the latest Iraqi rocked attack and the Pope Francis visit. Then it was the Afghanistan reconstruction report saying billions have gone missing, Spanish rapper hacks off his buddies penis for YouTube hits, Female vet's viral sexual assault video was probably bullshit, covid stimulus bill passes senate, former French Prez sentence to prison, and a Florida guy was arrested after climaxing on a female Walmart employee's leg. Music: System of a Down/"War?"

Even accounting for inflation, the United States has spent more on the rebuilding of Afghanistan than it spent rebuilding Western Europe after World War II. What does it have to show for it? Did fraud sabotage the effort? Did our leaders lie about how it all was going? This week, Grant Reeher speaks with John Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

Over 5,000 people have been killed or wounded over the course of the United States’ rebuilding of Afghanistan, according to a new report from Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko. Read the article here!

Darrell Castle talks about the series of government documents recently released to the Washington Post by court order regarding the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. Transcription / Notes: THE AFGHANISTAN PAPERS        Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today's Castle Report. Today is Friday, January 3, 2020, the first Friday of the New Year, and the first of a new decade. I am now 6 weeks post surgery to repair a severed tendon in my left knee and I am happy to report that I am making great progress toward being able to walk again. This week I began physical therapy and I can now bear some weight on my leg so thanks for bearing with me and thanks for the prayers and well wishes. Since this is the beginning of the New Year, a year in review episode would be appropriate.  What was the biggest story of the year? My vote would go to the never ending impeachment investigation against President Trump, but there are the presidential election campaigns of all the Democrats; the Constitution becoming ever more irrelevant because it is voluntary and not self-enforcing so goodbye Constitution. I could also talk about rising debt at every level of government and the public, and the inevitable debt crises, but instead I have decided to revisit the Middle East, specifically Afghanistan. Where do we stand in Afghanistan after 18 years of fighting, dying and killing? A New Year is a good time to ask that question. Washington invaded Afghanistan 18 years ago and as a result has suffered more than 2400 dead Americans, more than 20,000 wounded Americans along with more than 110,000 Afghan dead and the expenditure of more than 1 trillion dollars. We don't have to wonder what it was all about anymore because a report in the Washington Post published December 9, 2019 tells us. The report consists of about 2000 pages of material that a court ordered the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction to release to the Post. The Report paints a Robert McNamara type picture of America's entry into and occupation of Afghanistan. McNamara, who was Secretary of Defense, and therefore responsible for the conduct of much of the Vietnam War, in a televised interview after the war said it was all a mistake that we shouldn't have made. He said we, and by that he meant he and president Johnson, who created the lies and deception to justify what they had already decided to do..  The Afghanistan Papers, as the Post calls the Report, I suppose to remind us of the Pentagon Papers of Daniel Ellsberg fame, paints a devastating picture of the lying fraud that made up U.S. war policy and continues to do so to this day. The report consists of interviews and recorded conversations of those who began the war, as well as the generals and bureaucrats who conducted it. It cuts across the Bush and Obama Administrations and points out that the Trump Administration is continuing down the same path. The documents contradict a long chorus of public statements telling us that victory was just around the corner and all the while their private comments reveal that it was all just a pack of lies. They knew and admitted they knew that the war was unwinnable from the start and that nothing of any value could be accomplished there. The “good war” in Afghanistan ,as President Obama called it, only required winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. The Report reveals three administrations at the presidential level, all acting in collaboration with military officers and civilian bureaucrats who lied deliberately, repeatedly, and systematically to the public and especially to the media about the actual conditions in Afghanistan. Thousands of documents reveal how despite knowing that the struggle was pointless and unwinnable, additional troops were continually added or “surged” into the struggle. These same officials regularly overstated the success the U.S. had in winning hearts and minds. They simply made up or invented much of the news coming from the w...

December 19, 2019 Watch us on BitChute instead: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/unsafespace Carter discusses the Washington Posts's investigation and Freedom of Information request regarding the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction's (SIGAR) Lessons Learned report. Here's a link to the series of articles he discussed: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/investigations/afghanistan-papers/documents-database/ YouTube link to video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/F9YGxHA-j3Q

Widespread insecurity and corruption, weak police, slow economic growth. Those aren't the ingredients for a strong nation. But that's what characterizes Afghanistan, with which the United States has a complicated and hard-to-extract relationship. John Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin with highlights from a new high risk list. 

For going on 20 years, Congress and the public have read with a mixture of horror and fascination the reports coming out of the inspectors general, first for Iraq and then for Afghanistan reconstruction. They've detailed hundred of billions of dollars in spending and misspending. Now President Donald Trump has proposed making the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction reports secret. He called it insane that they're routinely released publicly, but the idea isn't going down too well with at least one long time good-government group. Mandy Smithberger, director of the center for defense information at the Project on Government Oversight, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for her reaction.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Juan José Gutiérrez, the executive director of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition, and Isabel Garcia, co-founder of Coalición de Derechos Humanos.With less than a week left before the midterm election, Donald Trump has announced that he would be sending up to 15,000 soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border. Meanwhile Republicans released an overtly racist campaign ad yesterday showing an undocumented migrant who was convicted of killing two policemen saying with a smile that he would soon escape and kill more people and then blaming Democrats for the deaths. Thursday’s weekly series “Criminal Injustice” is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show. More than 1,000 Google employees and contractors briefly walked off the job yesterday in Europe and Asia amid complaints of racism, sexism, and abuse of executive authority in the workplace. More walkouts are scheduled today. Google’s chief executive said in a statement that the company will carefully weigh its employees demands and respond appropriately. Brian and John speak with Patricia Gorky, an activist and a tech worker in San Francisco. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, issued a report yesterday showing that the Afghan government controls less territory than it has at any time since the US invasion. SIGAR said that the government of Ashraf Ghani controls only 55.5 percent of Afghanistan after 17 years of US military aid and support. Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, joins the show. Human Rights Watch, the US-based human rights organization, released a study yesterday based on interviews with more than 100 North Korean defectors now in South Korea, saying that North Korean government officials routinely commit sexual violence against women with impunity. The allegation is shocking, but critics say this is just another smear job to derail steps towards peace in Korea. Dr. Christine Hong, Associate Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at UC Santa Cruz and a member of the Korea Policy Institute, joins Brian and John. The Bank of England this morning warned of an economic catastrophe if the UK leaves the European Union without a Brexit deal. Bank governor Mark Carney said that absent an agreement, the UK should expect gridlock in its ports and airports, inflation, and a collapse in the value of the pound. This comes as police open a criminal probe into pro-Brexit campaign donor Arron Banks, who has been the target of conspiracy theories relating to his business interest in Russia. Steve Hedley, senior assistant general secretary of the the UK’s Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers Union, joins the show.Rep. Steve King, a Republican of Iowa, is one of the most conservative and anti-immigrant members of the House of Representatives. He calls himself a nationalist. Many of his detractors call him a bigot, a racist, and a white nationalist. King made a controversial tweet a few days ago and instantly moved his safe Republican seat to a toss-up. Is there a limit to xenophobia, even for conservative Republicans?

Today we talk to Border Security Minister Bill Blair about what his government is doing to reduce the number of asylum seekers crossing into Canada illegally.  Then, veterans says the government is reneging  on promises made to vets in the last election, we'll put those concerns to Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O'Regan. Plus is Afghanistan a failed state? Guests:  Bill Blair, Border Security Minister; Seamus O'Regan, Veterans Affairs Minister; John Sopko, Inspector General for the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction

For a decade, the special inspector general for Afghanistan Reconstruction has been trying to keep tabs on expenditures totaling $122 billion. John Sopko has presided over production of dozens of reports and hundreds of lessons learned. From buildings that collapse at the first rain fall, to crooked contractors and Afghan security forces that seem impervious to learning, he has seen it all. He joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for an extended interview about the outlook for SIGAR and for inspectors general in general. He also discussed the type of employee he is looking for, and whether he was what fellow IGs often say is sufficient access to the data they need to do their work.

Kate Bateman is a Visiting Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, and a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow.  Bateman was the lead author on a report for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, identifying lessons learned from the U.S. experience with corruption in Afghanistan.  Bateman has served in policy and intelligence positions at the State Department in Washington, and at embassies in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.  She also worked in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and was a Boren Fellow in India studying Sunni-Shia relations.

After FBI Director James Comey updated Congress on the Clinton email investigation last week, Democrats are accusing the G-Man of breaking the law. They were singing his praises just two months ago, when he exonerated their nominee.Also, America’s overseas military adventures might not be getting the attention they deserve this election cycle. Fortunately, our man the Special Inspector General of Afghanistan Reconstruction never sleeps. News from SIGAR later in the show.And the DCist’s Rachel Kurzius stops by to talk beer and presidential politics. One lager maker is facing a backlash after jumping aboard the Trump train.Finally….God Created Adam and Eve…He did not create Atoms to Cleve. We bring you an update on the decline of the Nuclear Power Industry later in the show.

After FBI Director James Comey updated Congress on the Clinton email investigation last week, Democrats are accusing the G-Man of breaking the law. They were singing his praises just two months ago, when he exonerated their nominee.Also, America’s overseas military adventures might not be getting the attention they deserve this election cycle. Fortunately, our man the Special Inspector General of Afghanistan Reconstruction never sleeps. News from SIGAR later in the show.And the DCist’s Rachel Kurzius stops by to talk beer and presidential politics. One lager maker is facing a backlash after jumping aboard the Trump train.Finally….God Created Adam and Eve…He did not create Atoms to Cleve. We bring you an update on the decline of the Nuclear Power Industry later in the show.

The planned withdrawal of British and other foreign troops from Afghanistan relies on the Afghan army and police to take over security duties. Since 2002, the USA has spent $27bn - over half of its total reconstruction fund - training and equipping Afghan forces. The aim is to build up an army of 171,600 people and a police force of 134,000 by October 2011. The Afghan President Hamid Karzai wants national forces to be in complete control of the country by 2014. But these targets, and the loyalty of some personnel, are called into question by recent killings carried out by members of the Afghan security forces: *20 July 2010: two US weapons trainers were shot dead by an Afghan soldier *13 July 2010: three British soldiers were attacked by an Afghan soldier who shot one dead in his bed and fired a rocket-propelled grenade which killed two others *3 November 2009: three British soldiers and two members of the Royal Military Police were shot dead by an Afghan policeman. An investigation published in June 2010 by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction found that officials had often overstated the readiness of Afghan forces, rating some units as first class when they were incapable of fighting the Taliban on their own. It also reported high levels of desertion, corruption and drug abuse. Gerry Northam asks if the transition to Afghan control is really on track. Producer: David Lewis Editor: David Ross.