Podcasts about karzai

Barack Hussein Obama, mannen som många hoppades skulle bli "fredspresidenten" när han valdes, bombade sju länder - bara under sina första sex år som president. Obama valdes 2009 delvis på grund av sitt motstånd mot Irakkriget och tilldelades Nobels fredspris efter att han tillträtt sitt ämbete. Det förmodligen "optimistiska" beslut som fattades av den norska Nobelkommittén fattades bara nio månader in i hans presidentskap... Vi skulle naturligtvis hävda att det så kallade fredspriset inte är något annat än en mekanism för kontroll av den allmänna uppfattningen. Det är egentligen bara en fråga om att titta på listan över mottagare genom åren och man kan ganska lätt se att det inte alls handlar om att främja fred. I själva verket är det raka motsatsen. I Obamas berömda "A New Beginning"-tal i Kairo förklarade presidenten att han sökte en nystart "mellan USA och muslimer runt om i världen", vilket ökade förhoppningarna om att han skulle bli motgiftet till George W. Bushs "kontroversiella" mandatperiod. Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) uppskattar att Obama-administrationen har genomfört mer än 390 drönarattacker under fem år i Pakistan, Jemen och Somalia - åtta gånger så många som godkändes under hela Bushs presidentperiod. Afghanistans president Hamid Karzai använde sitt avskedstal för att en sista gång protestera mot de amerikanska angreppen. Karzai, den ende president Afghanistan haft sedan den USA-ledda invasionen 2001, sade att Washington hade velat ha krig i Afghanistan "på grund av sina egna intressen". "Kriget i Afghanistan är till fördel för utlänningar", sade han i sitt tal. "Men afghaner på båda sidor är offerlamm och offer." Att lista alla de fruktansvärda handlingar som begåtts under Obamas presidentskap skulle ta ganska lång tid, och vi måste hålla detta kort. Sammanfattningsvis - sedan Obama fick det så kallade "fredspriset" började han bomba: Afghanistan. Pakistan. Libyen. Jemen. Somalia. Irak och Syrien. Hans så kallade "skandalfria" ordförandeskap - är förmodligen bara en fråga om vad allmänheten faktiskt har lärt sig hittills. Den allmänna opinionen styrdes fortfarande i hög grad av det så kallade "kriget mot terrorismen", och folket såg inte vad som egentligen pågick. Låt oss bara säga att det finns mycket mer än bara skelett i Obamas garderob, och hans dolda homosexualitet - kommer att vara det minsta av hans problem. Fråga dig själv detta, vem visste var "kropparna var begravda" ? Vem ledde den nationella underrättelsetjänsten under Obama? Vad gjorde den djupa staten med honom? Vad exakt är Donald Trump ett hot mot? Träsket är djupt och brett - och gammalt! Vad måste hända för att allmänheten ska förstå hur korrupt hela systemet är? De måste se det själva. Man skulle till och med kunna säga att framtiden - kommer att bevisa det förflutna. Stöd oss: SWISH: 0761-182568 (Mottagare: Caroline) PATREON: https://patreon.com/defria_se HEMSIDA: https://defria.se FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/defria.se

This edition features stories on U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, speaking with U.S. troops and coalition partners in Kabul, Afghanistan, after attending President Karzai's inauguration, the first of four planning conferences for exercise Combined Endeavor 2010, Lajes Field Family and Airmen Readiness Center holding an open house to show families what programs the center offers, and Bagram Air Field expanding its facilities to accommodate service members due to increased numbers of troops coming to Afghanistan. Hosted by Senior Airman Brad Sisson.

Package made from “NATO's Afghanistan Commitment” in the B-roll section about NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen visiting with Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai and International Security Assistance Force Commander McChrystal during a visit to Kabul, Afghanistan to emphasize international commitment to development, security and governance. Hosted by Ruth Owen. This version has title graphics and a voiceover.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited the former Taliban stronghold of Marjah in Central Helmand to meet with local people and listened to what they had to say. Marjah continues to be the focal point for ISAF's major offensive in Helmand which began in the middle of February 2010. Also in attendance for the visit was the Commander of all ISAF forces in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal and the NATO Senior Civilian Representative, Ambassador Mark Sedwill. Operation Moshtarak, RCS2010. Produced by Melissa Preen

After four years under Taliban control, Afghans in Nad Ali, Afghanistan are adjusting to government rule. Early signs are positive, but ISAF must keep up momentum and deliver on promises. Produced by William Bonnett.

Representatives from seventy states gathered in the Afghan capital to take part in the Kabul Conference. President Karzai called for all security to be under Afghan control by 2014. Produced by Mel Preen

This edition features stories on the president of Afghanistan approving a new security initiative in which the Afghan government is hiring and arming local villagers in Marjah and throughout Helmand province giving them the capability of defending themselves from the Taliban and the 101st Airborne Company in eastern Afghanistan conducting an air assault search for weapons caches and insurgents. Hosted by Senior Airman Barbara Patton.

In Afghanistan, President Karzai is pushing for a negotiated end to the war, bringing insurgents to the table and getting them to denounce violence. There are sound bites from Maj. Gen. Phil Jones, NATO Reintegration Team, Burhanuddin Rabbani, High Peace Council, Arsala Rahmani, Former Taliban, and Mahsoom Stanekzai, High Peace Council. Produced by Mel Preen.

Package about how Afghan security forces in Panjshir, Afghanistan say they're confident that, when transition comes, they'll be ready to take responsibility for the whole of the province (with Voiceover). Produced by Ruth Owen. Also available in High Definition.

The UN and international human rights groups have stated that insurgent groups have used children in combat, including as suicide bombers. Some of these children, pardoned by President Karzai, speak about their experiences. Meanwhile, the Afghan National Police are working with UNAMA on a campaign to increase awareness about underage recruitment.

In December 2001, Afghan delegates convened in Bonn, Germany, by the United Nations selected Hamid Karzai to serve as head of an interim national government, marking the beginning of post-Taliban governance. Nine years later, in late 2010, secret negotiations began between a Taliban representative and some U.S. officials. The talks centered largely on confidence-building measures, specifically the issues of a prisoner exchange and the opening of a Taliban political office in Doha, Qatar. In mid-2018, President Trump was reportedly frustrated with the lack of military progress against the Taliban, and he ordered formal and direct U.S.-Taliban talks without Afghan government participation. On April 14, 2021, President Biden announced that the United States would begin a “final withdrawal” on May 1, to be completed by September 11, 2021

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.comIn the first part of our two-hour finale to our History of Afghanistan series, Tim Nunan, lecturer in global history at the Free University of Berlin, moderates a panel discussion where he, Danny, and Derek are joined by Pashtana Durrani, founder of LEARN Afghan, and Haroun Rahimi, lawyer and visiting professor at Università Bocconi. In this first part of the discussion, Pashtana and Haroun share experiences of their respective childhoods in Afghanistan and Iran, their families' connections to the modern events in Afghanistan, cultural touchstones for them in the eras of the Taliban and Karzai, and more.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, by 70%, and is the number one most costly disease - “It's not because its happening more often it's because of bad lifestyle and medications that prolong life but don't get rid of pathological processes that cause dementia so you have a whole lot of people living with this devastating disease.”This week we speak to THE ultimate brain-powered couple! Neuroscientists Dr Dean and Ayesha Sherzai are a phenomenal pair, aside from the impressive list of credentials after both of their names, they have dedicated their lives to behavioural change models and brain health initiatives. Co-director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Program at Loma Linda University, Dr Dean completed two fellowships at National Institutes of Health, and UC San Diego. He also has 2 masters degrees in clinical research and epidemiology, an executive leadership degree from Harvard Business School, and a PhD in Healthcare Leadership. And just when you thought that was already enough achievements for one person, in 2002, Dr Dean was asked by the World Bank to help lead their health delivery project in Afghanistan. While there, he was asked by President Karzai to become the Deputy Minister of Health and focused on bringing together all the stakeholders around the vision of rapid delivery of the basic package of health services and women's empowerment. This process was deemed by LANCET as the most successful plan in any post-conflict county. This plan also helped empower more than 20,000 Afghan women by making them the only source of health care in the most remote of communities. In 2013, he helped create the Afghan Health Initiative in order to empower the Afghan diaspora with their own health. Currently, along with his wife Dr. Ayesha, they are leading the largest community-based brain health initiative in the world through their online work in Brain Health Revolution.Dr. Ayesha, also a neurologist and co-director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Program at Loma Linda University, where she leads the Lifestyle Program for the Prevention of Neurological Diseases. Is also a trained plant-based culinary artist.She holds a master's in advanced sciences from UCSD. Subsequent to completing her residency Dr. Ayesha completed a fellowship in vascular neurology from Columbia University and is currently enrolled to finish a PhD in women's leadership.We think it's safe to say that when it comes to brains, these pair know what they are talking about!“There are good stresses and bad stresses. Bad stress is when you are involved in activities that are not driven by your purposes… you don't have a runway that is yours. Whereas good stress is based around activities that do drive your purpose… our brains are made to be active, it craves to be pushed and challenged around its purpose…”In this episode, we discuss lifestyle choices, nutrition, purpose, Alzheimers, dementia, food that fuel your brain, activities that fuel your brain and, the data to support it.It truly is an amazing episode we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!Lots of love,Dave & SteveTo learn more about Dr's Sherzai check out their website: https://teamsherzai.com/And their latest book: The 30 Day Alzheimer's SolutionsProduced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today's Amanpour, recorded live from Kabul, Christiane opens the show by interviewing former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai. He tells her that his country is doomed if women are not part of its future. Then, UN special envoy to Afghanistan Deborah Lyons, who's had more meetings with the Taliban than any other western official, weighs in.  Also in today's show: DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison, New Order's Stephen Morris and Bernie Sumner. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Afghanistan has been through many decades of civil war and hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in those years of conflict. Now much of the population is facing extreme hunger. The World Bank has warned that more than a third of Afghans no longer have enough money to feed themselves. The country's economy was dependent on foreign grants that were cut off after the Taliban takeover and there are rising concern over their policies on women and girls. The BBC's Afghanistan correspondent Secunder Kermani also reports from Kabul and Today's Martha Kearney speaks to Afghanistan's former president Hamid Karzai. (Image Credits:EPA/JALIL REZAYEE)

La notte del 14 agosto un frastuono di elicotteri rompe il silenzio di Kabul. E' iniziato il ponte aereo dall'Ambasciata statunitense all'aeroporto Karzai, lo staff diplomatico sta lasciando il paese. Solo tre giorni prima l'intelligence americana sosteneva che la città avrebbe resistito 90 giorni dopo il ritiro delle truppe. In poche ore i talebani sono alle porte di Kabul e la gente in strada, senza capire cosa stia accadendo ma soprattutto cosa accadrà. Il nostro viaggio riparte da lì. Facendo i conti con la caotica evacuazione di agosto e tornando, sei mesi dopo, nell'Afghanistan dei talebani. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hamid Karzai served as President of Afghanistan from 2001 until 2014. Karzai's presidency spanned the lion's share of the 20 year-long US-led intervention in Afghanistan. Though Karzai often frustrated American leadership, my guest today claims that the Americans made many mistakes in their dealings with Karzai. That guest would know, too; he is Ronald Neumann, who served as US Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2005 until 2007 under President George W. Bush.  He is a friend of Karzai's, and he is the now president of the American Academy of Diplomacy in Washington, D.C. (@acadofdiplomacy on Twitter).

Il gusto dimenticato della vittoria, gli yemeniti uniti nel calcio battono l'Arabia Saudita. Afghanistan: l'ex presidente Karzai invitò i talebani a Kabul dopo che il presidente Ghani lasciò il paese. Il parlamento israeliano approva disegno di legge che consente alla polizia di fare irruzione nelle case palestinesi senza mandato. Filippine: Migliaia in fuga dal tifone Rai. La rumba congolese premiata dall'Unesco come patrimonio culturale dell'Umanità Questo e molto altro nel notiziario di Radio Bullets, a cura di Barbara Schiavulli Per sostenerci www.radiobullets.com/sostienici

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://afghannewswire.com/2021/12/16/karzaighanis-fleeing-ruined-last-minute-handover/

Il gusto dimenticato della vittoria, gli yemeniti uniti nel calcio battono l'Arabia Saudita. Afghanistan: l'ex presidente Karzai invitò i talebani a Kabul dopo che il presidente Ghani lasciò il paese. Il parlamento israeliano approva disegno di legge che consente alla polizia di fare irruzione nelle case palestinesi senza mandato. Filippine: Migliaia in fuga dal tifone Rai. La rumba congolese premiata dall'Unesco come patrimonio culturale dell'Umanità Questo e molto altro nel notiziario di Radio Bullets, a cura di Barbara Schiavulli Per sostenerci www.radiobullets.com/sostienici

Honoring the thirteen who perished at Karzai.

At the Raisina Dialogue 2020, Hamid Karzai (Former President, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) spoke to Robin Niblett (President, Chatham House, United Kingdom), where they discussed the United States' presence in Afghanistan. Karzai and Niblett deliberated upon the extent to which the United States could exercise control in Afghanistan, with Karzai insisting on the Afghan people's right to live with dignity in their own country. The Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral conference committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. Every year, global leaders in policy, business, media and civil society are hosted in New Delhi to discuss cooperation on a wide range of pertinent international policy matters. The Dialogue is structured as a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectoral discussion, involving heads of state, cabinet ministers and local government officials, as well as major private sector executives, members of the media and academics. The conference is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs

Governing Afghanistan today will not be easy. The 1990s was a completely different time. ''Resistance will continue" claims Jawed Ludin, a former advisor to President Hamid Karzai in an interview with Tim Sebastian on Conflict Zone this week. He also admits: ''One thing that has changed is that today's Taliban have a very deep-seated vengeance."

So far we've been talking about kinetic warfare in conflicts and battles, and in this episode we hear the very personal and individual stories of the human cost in graphic and heart wrenching accounts of being wounded in battle and coming home. The story of a soldier blown up by an IED in Iraq, suffering deep burns and an amputated leg, and his return to be tended by his family who are now his caretakers. Stories of the toll these new roles take on loved ones, and their continuing effort to cope with devastating injuries. This is a must-listen episode about the tests of humanity and the heroic acts that demonstrate the immense courage and spirit of our soldiers faced with kinetic war. Please note that this episode contains depictions of violence that some people may find disturbing.

It's time to grapple with the human rights issues ensuing in Afghanistan.To guide us in this important conversation are podcast alums Drs. Ayesha & Dean Sherzai.For those new to the show, ‘Roll On' is typically our opportunity to shift focus from my traditional fare of evergreen conversations to instead hone in on matters of contemporaneous, time-sensitive interest.Today we do just that, but with a twist, spending the entire episode grappling with the very grave plight faced by the 18 million women in Afghanistan in the wake of the United States departure. Breaking down the grip of Taliban rule, this is an exploration and round table discussion led by Team Sherzai.Experts on brain health, Alzheimer's, and neurodegenerative diseases, Drs. Sherzai have twice graced this show for deep dives on maintaining and optimizing cognitive function. But what most don't know is that Dean & Ayesha have considerable experience with Afghanistan.In 2003 Dean was appointed the Deputy Minister of Health by President Karzai, creating the most successful post-conflict healthcare system with women's empowerment at its core. Ayesha founded the Social Welfare Society for Afghan Refugees in medical school, volunteered with Doctors Without Borders' in Afghanistan during her medical training, and co-founded the Afghan Health Initiative in order to empower the Afghan diaspora with their own health.My intention for this conversation is less political—we aren't here to necessarily debate the political advisability of the U.S. withdrawal as much as the incomprehensibly botched manner in which we withdrew—and the downstream human rights implications of Afghan women in particular.Other specific topics discussed include:The history of women's rights in Afghanistan;using healthcare as a catalyst for women's empowerment;a breakdown of the imperative of the Taliban and how it functions;the role that fear plays in female oppression;what we can be done now to aid Afghan women; andhow to support celebrated female artists, scientists, politicians & leaders in Afghanistan.To read more and listen click here. You can also watch on YouTube. And as always, the podcast streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.This is an important, pertinent, and heavy conversation. My heart goes out to those suffering. If possible, I highly encourage you to donate to programs like Restore Her Voice. Any amount can make a difference.Listen, Watch & SubscribeApple Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify | Stitcher | Google PodcastsThanks to this week's sponsors:Blinkist: Unlimited access to read or listen to a massive library of condensed non-fiction books from self-help, to business, health, and history—all for one low price. Join me and 12 million others gleaning from the best and brightest. Try Blinkist FREE for 7 days AND get 25% off a Blinkist Premium membership at blinkist.com/richrollLMNT: A science-backed electrolyte drink mix with everything you need and nothing you don't. The formula is super high-caliber, it's plant-based with no sugar, fillers, gluten, or sketchy ingredients. 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She barely made it out of the country.The Guardian: Evidence contradicts Taliban's claim to respect women's rightsCNN: The Taliban said women wouldn't face discrimination. They already areHCFWI: The Women's Health Care Empowerment Model as a Catalyst for Change in Developing CountriesBook: Only Cry for the Living: Memos From Inside the ISIS BattlefieldNPR: What It's Like To Be A Woman Reporting On The Taliban: ‘They Don't Look At You'CNN: Clarissa Ward recounts her journey out of Afghanistan aboard a refugee flightCNN: Young Afghan artist creates haunting image of her homeland's fall to the TalibanHOW CAN I SUPPORT THE PODCAST?Tell Your Friends & Share Online!Subscribe & Review: Please make sure to review, share comments and subscribe to the show on the various platforms (Apple Podcasts, YouTube & Spotify). This helps tremendously!Patronize Our Sponsors: Supporting the companies that support the show! 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Networker, survivor - Afghanistan's former leader Hamid Karzai, famous for his traditional cloak and sheepskin hat, is back in the news. While others fled Kabul in mid-August when the Taliban swept in, Karzai stayed. He sat with them to help negotiate the transfer of power. In power for 13 of the past 20 years, the former president tells Lyse Doucet he's proud of what Afghanistan achieved and says neither he nor the US were able to stem the resurgence of the Taliban. Series music composed by Arson Fahim

Emma hosts James Risen, Senior National Security Correspondent at the Intercept, to discuss his recent piece "A War's Epitaph: For Two Decades, Americans Were Told One Lie After Another About What They Were Doing In Afghanistan", on how bad the “good war” has been since it began. James and Emma walk through the US's failed twenty-year involvement in what was essentially another country's civil war, how it began, and the countless mistakes made along the way which were inevitably covered up. They begin with the first involvement in the region with the Bush Administration's invasion and propping up of the Karzai Presidency, which almost immediately fell to rampant corruption as US funding flowed through a Karzai-backed heroin trade, emphasizing the shell of a government that we had set up. Risen also touches on how the lack of genuine investment from either the local government or their US backing set the stage for the almost immediate collapse following the military exit, before moving onto the Obama years, and what his commitment to his “good war,” through mass investment in the preexisting corruption and the development of his collateral damage drone program, really meant. James and Emma conclude the interview by looking at how the major players in Afghanistan have developed to where they're at now, before Emma wraps up the first half with a discussion on the countless horrors stemming from last night's Supreme Court decision, as well as the lacking response from the Biden Administration, and Gov. Kathy Hochul's wonder at the “once in a thousand years” natural disaster that we've somehow been seeing with increasing frequency. And in the Fun Half: Emma, Brandon, and Matt discuss the horrors of Hurricane Ida, Matt's flooding, and Sam from NoLa gives a bit of the southern perspective after the storm left, and extreme heat came in. They also discuss supposed-naturalist Joe Rogan's pharmaceutical-heavy solution to catching COVID, Mike from PA's guest suggestion, and debate the filmmaking legacy of M. Night Shyamalan, before discussing Candace Owens' COVID skepticism coming back to bite her, and Tucker and Dave Rubin's projection of personal shortcomings onto AOC, plus, your calls and IMs! Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here. Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ (Merch issues and concerns can be addressed here: majorityreportstore@mirrorimage.com) You can now watch the livestream on Twitch Check out today's sponsor: BetterHelp gives you access to your own fully licensed and accredited therapist via phone, chat, or video. A lot of therapists elsewhere have long waitlists and it can take weeks or months before they can see you… But when you sign up with BetterHelp, they match you with a therapist based on your specific needs, and you'll be communicating with them in less than 24 hours. BetterHelp is giving our audience 10% off their first month when you go to https://betterhelp.com/majorityreport Support the St. Vincent Nurses today as they continue to strike for a fair contract! https://action.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/ Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/ Subscribe to AM Quickie writer Corey Pein's podcast News from Nowhere, at https://www.patreon.com/newsfromnowhere Check out The Letterhack's upcoming Kickstarter project for his new graphic novel! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milagrocomic/milagro-heroe-de-las-calles Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel! Check out The Nomiki Show live at 3 pm ET on YouTube at patreon.com/thenomikishow Check out Matt's podcast, Literary Hangover, at Patreon.com/LiteraryHangover, or on iTunes. Check out Jamie's podcast, The Antifada, at patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!) Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattBinder @MattLech @BF1nn @BradKAlsop Donate to Hurricane Ida efforts on Venmo @MutualAidLouisiana Donate to Cajun Navy Relief here. Donate to Second Harvest Food Bank here. Donate to Hands On New Orleans here. Become a Beta subscriber for new progressive social media platform Adduna! Sign up for The Press Freedom Defense Fund's free virtual event "When Right Matters in Government: A Conversation on Speaking Out With Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman" on Wednesday September 15th here.

On this edition of Parallax Views, U.S. military forces have left Afghanistan after 20 years. But the D.C. foreign policy Blob's arrogance is still going strong, as figures like Max Boot, Leon Panetta, and H.R. McMaster. Our guest on this edition, libertarian gadfly James Bovaird, has a personal experience he's decided to share with us about this kind of hubris that he details in his article "Washington Arrogance is Incurable". Jim recounts a telling conversation he had with a "good Washingtonian" that took issue with Jim's questioning of U.S. foreign policy. Meanwhile, Jim recounts seeing wounded soldiers returning from the Forever Wars that very same day. From there we delve into a number of different topics related to the foreign policy establishment and the Forever Wars like those waged in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the War on Terror. We discuss the responsibility and complicity of President George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and, yes, even Joe Biden in regards to these conflicts. Additionally, Jim gives his opinion on the U.S. exit from Afghanistan and how it was handled poorly in his mind. Nonetheless, Jim also expresses that he believes the withdrawal needed to happen. We also delve into the issue of women's and girl's rights in Afghanistan and Jim relates a telling fact about Karzai, who was in power after the U.S. beat back the Taliban in Afghanistan, and how a certain law he signed was anything but a promotion of women's rights. Also, we talk a little bit about perpetual hawkish commentator Max Boot, gun rights, what Jim refers to as the "Sham of Democracy Promotion" in Afghanistan, the winners and losers of the Afghanistan War (hint: Virginia's weapons contractors did quite well for themselves), the relationship between the War on Terror and the loss of civil liberties, the "Bitter Belated Afghan Vindication", 9/11 and the "28 pages" of the post-9/11 Senate Select Committee, Iran and the long push for war with Iran, the rehabilitation of George W. Bush, Jim's book The Bush Betrayal, the worldwide torture regime, the question of U.S. credibility, sanctions, the economic strangulation of Syria, understanding the fact on the ground on these wars, the smugness of our foreign policy elites, the massive amounts of money that go into D.C. think tanks, and more!

Taliban dan sang Negara Adidaya Oleh. Novida Sari, S.Kom Voice Over Talent : Yeni M NarasiPost.Com-Mujahidin Afghanistan yang telah berhasil memutus pengaruh Uni Soviet yang telah lama bercokol di Afghanistan, akhirnya keok di tangan Taliban. Taliban yang menggunakan nama Imarah Islamiyah dilaporkan telah menduduki istana Kepresidenan dan menduduki ibukota Kabul. Dilansir dari arrahmah.id (15/08/2021), para pejabat pemerintah Afghanistan dan Taliban sedang dalam negosiasi untuk transfer kekuasaan secara damai setelah para pejuang mengepung ibu kota Kabul. Dan selama negosiasi, pasukan Taliban berjanji untuk tidak menyerang. Kelompok ini mengatakan bahwa mereka telah menginstruksikan para pejuangnya untuk menahan diri dari kekerasan serta menawarkan jalan yang aman bagi siapa saja yang menginginkan untuk meninggalkan Kabul. Dan ternyata Ashraf Ghani selaku Presiden Afghanistan, pergi meninggalkan negara itu sehingga membuat banyak orang di Afghanistan marah dan bingung setelah Taliban berusaha merebut kembali kekuasaan seperti 20 tahun lalu, namun kekuasaan ini berakhir dilibas oleh Amerika beserta pasukan koalisinya setelah peristiwa 11/9/2001. Pasca Invasi Militer Amerika, sang Negara Adidaya Pada bulan-bulan setelah serangan 11/9/2001 di Amerika, Kelompok Mujahidin Afghanistan yang setia kepada Aliansi Utara Afgan mengadakan kerja sama politik dengan Amerika untuk menggulingkan Taliban. Kelompok ini juga mengumpulkan dukungan untuk pembentukan pemerintahan yang baru. Kemudian di bawah Kesepakatan Bonn pada tanggal 5 Desember 2001 di Jerman, dibentuk Pemerintahan transisi sementara dan mengangkat Hamid Karzai sebagai pejabat sementara presiden dari pemerintahan transisi Afgan, bersama dengan Karzai, Hedayat Amin Arsala pun ditunjuk menjadi salah satu wakil presiden. Pada tanggal 9 Oktober 2004, terjadi pemilu di Afghanistan. Karzai termasuk yang mencalonkan diri. Meskipun dianggap tidak memiliki dukungan kuat secara nasional, ia menang di 21 dari 34 provinsi. Karzai pun resmi mengakhiri pemerintahan Taliban, meskipun sebenarnya ia adalah “mantan” Taliban yang akhirnya “memutuskan” hubungan karena alasan ketidakpercayaan yang terkait dengan Pakistan. Naskah Selengkapnya : https://narasipost.com/2021/08/19/taliban-dan-sang-negara-adidaya/ Terimakasih buat kalian yang sudah mendengarkan podcast ini, Follow us on : instagram : http://instagram.com/narasipost Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/narasi.post.9 Fanpage : Https://www.facebook.com/pg/narasipostmedia/posts/ Twitter : Http://twitter.com/narasipost

Brought to you by the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs and the Consortium of Indo-Pacific Researchers, this round table discussion, "The Fall of Afghanistan," features Dr. monish tourangbam; Col Wayne Straw, USAF; COL Patrick Budjenska, US Army; Sher Jan Ahmadzai; and Anvesh Jain, with event coordinator, Achala Gunasekara-Rockwell, PhD. The original intent of this event was to highlight journal articles tackling the topic of #Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the events of the past few weeks have radically altered the focus, which will instead turn to what the future holds for Afghanistan in the wake of its collapse and the resurgence of the #Taliban. We have brought together a very diverse group of scholars, including international academicians, military officers with real-world experience in the theater, and a former official in the Karzai administration.

At the Raisina Dialogue 2020, Hamid Karzai (Former President, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) spoke to Robin Niblett (President, Chatham House, United Kingdom), where they discussed the United States' presence in Afghanistan. Karzai and Niblett deliberated upon the extent to which the United States could exercise control in Afghanistan, with Karzai insisting on the Afghan people's right to live with dignity in their own country.The Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral conference committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. Every year, global leaders in policy, business, media and civil society are hosted in New Delhi to discuss cooperation on a wide range of pertinent international policy matters.The Dialogue is structured as a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectoral discussion, involving heads of state, cabinet ministers and local government officials, as well as major private sector executives, members of the media and academics.The conference is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs#RaisinaDialogue #RaisinaDialogue2020 #Raisina2020

The unbelievable story of how one rescue attempt made this group of Air Force and Army Special Operations feel like they made a difference.In 2001 there was an assassination attempt against then acting President of Afghanistan, President Karzai.  His PSD (Personal Security Detail) were U.S. Navy SEALS. One of the SEALS was shot in the head – and this is the real-life story of the rescue – Told by retired (AFSOC, Air Force Special Operations Command) helicopter pilot Bryan Martyn.  Bryan Martyn was the Mission Commander. This short clip represents the power, courage and professionalism of our United States Military and AFSOC.  The ability to change missions at a moment's notice and execute the flying and rescue aspect of this mission speaks to the training and expertise of members of this unit. BEST QUOTES“Ok, go get the helicopters ready. We got a “lat/long”, we looked at the satellite image, and thought “where can we land in Kandahar” …. Subscribe and Follow The David Johnson Show atApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-david-johnson-show-the-veteran-talk-show/id1524541240Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUKQFy0eEwxt8wpS30pwtAudible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-David-Johnson-Show-Podcast/B08JJNYTGZAll other platforms at The David Johnson Show: https://thedavidjohnsonshow.com

阿富汗塔利班：将组建新政府丨Taliban seeking to establish new governmentThe Taliban met on Wednesday with former Afghan president Hamid Karzai as the group is seeking to form a new government in the war-torn country, with the international community calling for more talks and peace and stability in Afghanistan.塔利班周三与阿富汗前总统哈米德·卡尔扎伊会面，塔利班正努力在这个饱受战争摧残的国家组建一个新政府，国际社会呼吁在阿富汗进行更多的会谈并实现和平与稳定。The meeting between the Taliban and the former Afghan leader came after Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country following the Taliban's takeover of most parts of Afghanistan, including the capital city of Kabul, on Sunday.阿富汗总统穆罕默德·阿什拉夫·加尼在塔利班于周日接管包括首都喀布尔在内的阿富汗大部分地区后离开该国，塔利班和这位阿富汗前领导人之间的会晤在加尼离开之后举行。Karzai, who was the nation's president from 2001 to 2014, has been leading efforts to ensure a peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan, according to media reports.据媒体报道，2001年至2014年担任该国总统的卡尔扎伊一直在努力确保阿富汗权力和平交接。On Thursday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted on his Twitter account a picture of a flag and coat of arms, and announced the "declaration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on the occasion of the 102nd anniversary of the country's independence from British rule".周四，塔利班发言人扎比胡拉·穆贾希德在他的推特账户上发布了一张国旗和国徽的图片，并宣布“在阿富汗摆脱英国统治、独立102周年纪念日之际，塔利班宣布成立‘阿富汗伊斯兰酋长国'”。China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday that China has been maintaining communication and contact with the Afghan Taliban on the basis of respecting the sovereignty of the country and the will of various factions.中国外交部发言人华春莹周四表示，中方在充分尊重阿富汗国家主权以及国内各派意愿的基础上，同阿富汗塔利班等各派都保持着联系和沟通。"We encourage and hope the Afghan Taliban can follow through its positive statements, unite with all parties and ethnic groups in Afghanistan, establish a broadly based, inclusive political framework that fits the national conditions and win public support through dialogue and consultation as soon as possible," Hua said.华春莹称：“我们鼓励并希望阿塔将其积极表态落到实处，同阿各党派、各民族团结起来，尽快通过对话协商建立符合阿富汗自身国情、得到人民支持、广泛包容的政治架构。”China also hopes the Afghan Taliban will implement moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, curb terrorism and criminal acts, and ensure a smooth transition so that people can be free from war and enjoy lasting peace, she said.华春莹说到，中方也希望阿富汗塔利班施行温和稳健的内外政策。遏制各类恐怖主义和犯罪行径，确保阿富汗局势实现平稳过渡，让饱受战火之苦的阿富汗人民能够尽快远离战乱，建立持久和平。The spokeswoman called on the international community to jointly encourage and support all factions and ethnic groups in Afghanistan to engage in solidarity and cooperation in order to open a new chapter in the country's history.这位发言人呼吁国际社会应共同鼓励和支持阿富汗各党派、各民族团结合作，翻开阿富汗历史的新篇章。Hua added that she had "noticed that some people have been saying they don't trust the Afghan Taliban".华春莹补充说到，她“注意有些人反复强调他们对阿塔的不信任”。"I want to say that nothing stays unchanged. When understanding and handling problems, we should adopt a holistic, interconnected and developmental dialectical approach. We should look at both the past and the present. We need to not only listen to what they say, but also look at what they do. If we do not keep pace with the times, but stick to a fixed mindset and ignore the development of the situation, we will never reach a conclusion that is in line with reality," she said.“我想说的是，世界上没有任何事物是一成不变的。我们主张要用全面、联系的、发展的辩证思维来认识、看待和处理问题，不仅要看过去怎么样，也要看现在怎么样；不仅听其言，也要观其行。如果不与时俱进，而是抱守固定思维，无视形势发展，那就是刻舟求剑，就不会得出符合实际的结论。”The spokeswoman said that the rapid evolution of the situation in Afghanistan also shows that there is a lack of objective judgment on the situation by the outside world as well as a failure to accurately understand the opinions of the Afghan people.这位女发言人说到，阿富汗局势的急剧演变也表明外界以往对阿富汗形势缺乏客观判断，对阿民意缺乏准确把握。"Certain Western countries should particularly draw a lesson from this," Hua said.“西方某些国家尤其应该汲取教训，”华春莹说。On Wednesday, various countries called for restraint and peace in the war-torn country.周三，多个国家呼吁让这个饱受战争摧残的国家尽快恢复和平。Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, agreed, in a telephone call, on the importance of establishing peace and stability in Afghanistan.俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京和伊朗总统易卜拉欣·莱希在电话中一致同意在阿富汗建立和平与稳定的重要性。"Much attention was paid to the events unfolding in Afghanistan. Willingness to contribute to the establishment of peace and stability in this country was expressed," the Kremlin said in a statement.克里姆林宫在一份声明中说：“对阿富汗发生的事件给予了很大关注，并表示愿意为在这个国家建立和平与稳定作出贡献。”Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey welcomes the "moderate" statements made by the Taliban leaders in Afghanistan.土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安说，土耳其欢迎塔利班领导人在阿富汗做出的“有节制的”声明。1.coat of armsn.盾形纹章；盾徽网络：国徽；族徽；武装外衣2.faction美 ['fækʃ(ə)n] 英 ['fækʃ(ə)n]n.派别；内讧；派系斗争；纪实与虚构相结合的电影（或书等）网络：宗派；小集团；帮派3.holistic美 [hoʊ'lɪstɪk] 英 [həʊ'lɪstɪk]adj.整体的；全面的；功能整体性的网络：全人；全盘的；整体论4.dialectical美 [ˌdaɪə'lektɪkl] 英 [ˌdaɪə'lektɪkl]adj.辩证(法)的；方言的网络：辩证的；辩证法的；辩证性

This week we discuss all things Hamid Karzai. From his start in the pre-Taliban government and relationship with King Zahir Shah, to his eventual return and ascendancy to become president. We talk about Karzai's abilities as a politician and a statesman, as well as the consistent charges of corruption that followed throughout his administration. We also get into some of what Karzai has been up to since the end of his 2nd term and the introduction of his successor, Ashraf Ghani. Towards the beginning of this week's episode we have some exciting news about next week's episode and guests. _________________________________________ Where to Listen:Apple: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkapple Spotify: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkspotify Pandora: https://bit.ly/3xZ8bk9 Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3gbZ6ya Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/37UuZXQ Stitcher: https://bit.ly/3AQNadj  iHeart Radio: https://bit.ly/3y0Vfdw TuneIn: https://bit.ly/2W1VEPN Buzzsprout: https://bit.ly/37PIdoy  Be sure to like, follow, subscribe, rate, review, and share wherever you listen to our podcast. New episodes of The Boardwalk are published every Saturday morning.  Our Social Media Sites:Instagram: @theboardwalkpodcast Facebook: @TheBoardwalkPodcastTwitter: @theboardwalkpod You can also reach us by email at: theboardwalkpodcast@gmail.com  The views expressed by the hosts and guests of this podcast do not represent the views of the United States Government or the United States Department of Defense. 

As US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan its perhaps well to ask who are the Taliban and where did they come from? This episode explores the tumultuous history of Afghanistan, a country that has been tainted and destroyed from outside powers trying to impose their way of life on the rural Afghan subsistence farmers. This episode explores the Soviet-Afghan war, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, and the US invasion and attempts at nation building.For an extended version of the show go subscribe to my Patreon. The extended episode includes an extra 30 minutes on Afghan culture, Wahhabism, the Karzai government and the revealing truth of the Afghan Papers.Support the show

Veterans In Politics- Season 2, Episode 8  with  Tom Tugendhat MBE VR MPIn the last of this current series Jonny sits down with fellow Int Corps Reservist, linguist and veteran of Afghanistan (and other operations!) Tom Tugendhat.  Their chat is as you might imagine when two people from the same Corps family come together for a catch up and you're invited to listen in.They cover the 'Big Society', Tom's observations of community kindness during Covid-19 and Jonny even has time to rib Tom for a social media picture of both him and Dan Jarvis MP (a previous guest of the show) currently doing the rounds on social media showing them on tour in Afghanistan with some dubious haircuts. This is a fantastic episode to round off the series and Tom was a fabulous guest, funny, observant and easy to talk to.This podcast series maintains its independence and features several parties in this series.NOTE- We are independently funded without any fancy sponsors so rely on you to rate, donate or become our mate.  Donate - CampaignForceFor more info on Tom go to: https://www.tomtugendhat.org/About Tom (in his own words): I grew up in London and Sellinge, near Ashford, before going to read Theology at Bristol University where I also worked in the local homeless shelter in the St Paul's area. I then studied for a Masters' degree in Islamics at Cambridge University, which including learning Arabic in Yemen.After graduating, I went to Beirut as a journalist where I wrote about the conflict as well as regional politics and economics. Soon after I established one of Lebanon's first public relations companies and won some major international clients. When I returned to the UK I worked as a management consultant before going into energy analysis in the City. At about the same time I joined the TA.When the Iraq War broke out in 2003, I was mobilised as an Arabic-speaking intelligence officer to serve with the Royal Marines.  After the war I returned to my job in the City, but was soon asked to help with the distribution of the New Iraqi Dinar as part of the economic reconstruction effort. Over the next six months I ran the central region – Baghdad and surrounding cities – and distributed much of the $4.5 billion-worth of cash that went into Iraq.The next year I saw a series of projects conducted on behalf of the British government and companies including helping to improve Morocco's ports to ensure they were compliant with modern protocols. In 2005, I was asked by the Foreign Office to go to Afghanistan and help grow the National Security Council. Working in the Dari language, the project involved setting the strategic goals for a new office that coordinated Afghanistan's strategic advice to President Karzai.  When one of the members of the National Security Council was named governor of Helmand Province, he asked for me to go with him as his adviser. Together, and this time working in Pashto, the language of southern Afghanistan, we set up the first non-warlord administration in Helmand since the Soviet invasion.After two years in Afghanistan I returned to the UK, but my former Royal Marines unit was deploying to Helmand and asked me to go too. I mobilised and served operationally for a further two years, for which I received the MBE, coming off my last patrol in July 2009.On returning to the UK, I was asked by the new Chief of the General Staff to work on the Army Strategy Team. When he was made Chief of the Defence Staff he asked me to serve as his military assistant and principal adviser. I remain a reserve officer.In 2015 I was elected as Member of Parliament for Tonbridge, Edenbridge and Malling. I live with my wife, Anissia, and our two children near Edenbridge.#StandUpServeAgain

Hamid Helmandi, a specialist in urban development and agriculture, was the cofounder of the First Afghanistan Construction Company along with the family members of former president Hamid Karzai. Helmandi tells his story of being involved in a state of the art urban development project called Ayno Mina in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province.  Below are links to Hamid Helmandi, his current position and news articles related to his story.   Abdul Hamid Helmandi, senior advisor of Afghan president Ashraf Ghani: https://aop.gov.af/dr/advisor_details/284Hamid Helmandi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HamidHelmandiAccording to several AFCO partners, Shah Wali Karzai had transferred about $55 million. “He simply opened another company, and put the money in that company,” Mahmoud Karzai said in an interview: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/04/world/asia/karzai-family-moves-to-protect-its-privilege.htmlUS Prosecutors probe Karzai's brother: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704760704575516052903781616Bank Fraud case of Mahmoud Karzai: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/elaborate-ruse-behind-vast-kabul-bank-fraud/2011/06/30/AGL3bmsH_story.htmlAfghan president appoints Mahmoud Karzai as acting minister for Urban Development: https://twitter.com/TOLOnews/status/1267492683939012626?s=20Afghan Wind Solar: http://www.afghanwindsolar.com/index.php/about-usNPR 2008 Interview with Helmandi about Ayno Mina: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87858936&t=1603724723154Pajhwok news item about Afghanistan Construction Company in 2018: https://www.pajhwok.com/en/2018/07/28/afco-licence-expires-main-shareholders-loggerheads   Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/Afgeye)

Richard "Red" Brion is essentially an American ronin: a samurai without a master. Red has spent years in Navy intelligence, serving in Iraq, and years with Blackwater doing some crazy shit in Japan and Afghanistan. He's done quite a bit in Africa as well. And he's recently made the move over the last couple of years, taking his skills and experience from masterless warrior to hyperlocal, urban agriculture. As founder and CEO of Revolution Agriculture, Red is tackling the Global Food Security Problem through technology-enabled food production and land optimization. They have patented a system that makes it possible to grow virtually any crop, anywhere. Show Notes Revolution Agriculture Follow Red on LinkedIn Theme music by: Ruel Morales Audio Transcript Brian Schoenborn 0:01 Hello, Hello, everyone. Welcome friends. Our guest today is like an American ronin, which is essentially a samurai without a master. Red here has spent a lot of time in the Navy serving in Iraq over there. He has spent years with Blackwater, doing some crazy shit in Japan and Afghanistan and stuff like that. He's done quite a bit in Africa as well. And he's recently made the move, over the last couple of years, he's made the move from masterless warrior into hyperlocal, urban agriculture. Give it up for my friend, Richard Brian. Brian Schoenborn 0:52 My name is Brian Schoenborn. I am an explorer of people, places, and culture. In my travels, spanning over 20 countries across four continents, I've had the pleasure of engaging in authentic conversations with amazingly interesting people. These are their stories, on location and unfiltered. Presented by 8B Media, this is Half the City. Brian Schoenborn 1:21 This is fucking low-fi bro. It's just a couple of microphones in a goddamn recording studio, not even a studio. This is a makeshift this is this is a this is a private couch-filled office in a WeWork. There's nothing more to it. microphones Adobe Audition. I'm not going to tell you any more about that. But that's pretty much it. Richard Brion 1:48 I mean, it could be worse. We could we could be in a coffee shop trying to do this. It does happen. Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 1:53 Let me get that a litte closer. Richard Brion 1:54 Oh, getting up close and personal, now are we? Brian Schoenborn 1:57 Yeah, I mean, you want to keep it about a fist. You know just just like captures, you want to fist it. Brian Schoenborn 2:04 I'm greasing the gears right now. Richard Brion 2:10 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 2:13 So Richard, Red. I'm going to call you Red because we know. Richard Brion 2:18 Yeah make sense. Brian Schoenborn 2:19 We know the siutation. Richard Brion 2:19 I'm a ginger bastard anyway. Brian Schoenborn 2:21 This guy's fucking beard matches his grape. Richard Brion 2:26 Yeah pretty much there's, I was watching this thing the other day where…he's a YouTube star and he was making fun of the fact that he doesn't tan and he's like I just go from white to red and he's like, is tan the color after red because I never seem to get that far. Well, yeah, that's about the size of it when it comes to my head so Brian Schoenborn 2:46 I don't think I've ever seen you not red. Richard Brion 2:48 Yeah. The name fits. What can you What can I say? Brian Schoenborn 2:54 So dude, let's let's get into it a little bit. Um, you you were telling me the other day that you just came back from a couple of backpacking trips right? Richard Brion 3:03 Yeah, here in Washington State. Brian Schoenborn 3:05 Tell me about that. I want to hear about this. And then I want to go into that other stuff. Like, this is the most recent shit. So let's hear about this. Richard Brion 3:11 Yeah. So it was just a, there're backpacking trips in an area and then Alpine lakes wilderness here in Washington, you have to have a permit for, it's a lottery permit. And you get to spend, you know, between a couple of days and up near two weeks out there just kind of packing around seeing these really awesome Alpine lakes that, you know, are pretty much untouched and fairly pristine. The mountain goats are super aggressive up there. Brian Schoenborn 3:37 Really? Richard Brion 3:37 It's actually kind of funny. Yeah, they, they, for whatever reason, there's not a lot of naturally occurring salt and they're addicted to salt. So humans urinate, goats come and try to get the salt out of it. Brian Schoenborn 3:50 So they're drinking pee? Richard Brion 3:51 Yeah, basically. So they asked you to like… Brian Schoenborn 3:54 They're like fucking Bear Grylls! In animal form. Richard Brion 3:58 So basically, they they asked you to, you know, urinate on the rocks because it makes it so when the goats go after it, they don't decimate the plant life and everything else. Brian Schoenborn 4:06 So they encourage you to pee on the rocks? Richard Brion 4:08 Yes, so that it doesn't. So that way the goats don't end up tearing everything up. Brian Schoenborn 4:12 Nice. Richard Brion 4:12 But the funny thing is, is that goats have gotten so used to it that they're actually become a little bit aggressive about it trying to get as close to Brian Schoenborn 4:17 They're like, “Give me your pee!” Richard Brion 4:19 Pretty much Brian Schoenborn 4:21 Like a fucking crackhead, they're like “I will suck your dick for some pee!” Richard Brion 4:25 So basically, there was a there was a couple of there was a couple of girls in the group that kind of actually almost got like chased down for it. It was pretty funny. I in the morning, you just even trying to just go check out one of the lakes and a waterfall just to take pictures, and you look up and there's a goat they're like, “are you gonna pee?” Like, you're like, “wait a minute.” Brian Schoenborn 4:46 They're like giving you the look. Richard Brion 4:48 Yeah, and they follow you down there and they basically like oddly feels like they've got you pinned up against this rock face. Like, either you pee or I knock you off the cliff but I mean, outside of that it was pretty awesome. We got to see a deer right up close, it really didn't care too much that we were around. And then on the way down from the second trip as well, there was a pretty sizable buck that basically was just standing there staring at us, like “what's up people?” Richard Brion 5:18 So they kind of get up there this it's odd, they're still pristine, they still come around, but then they're getting used to humans enough and as we're not being too much of a threat that they kind of just leave you alone. Brian Schoenborn 5:28 Huh, nice. Richard Brion 5:29 And then of course, we had one of my friends that I grew up with since the time we were like 10. He came out with us, and he ended up leaving his tent open just a smidge and a little field mouse came in. And he's not really afraid of much but he screams like a girl when a mouse gets in his tent. And that's not to say a bad thing about screaming like a girl but it when he's got a voice that isn't well suited for that falsetto scream. So when I'm when I'm saying scream like a girl it's more it's this high pitch sound that he makes that isn't within his normal vocal vocal range so it's pretty interesting. Richard Brion 6:10 Woke us up, and, you know, but the the lakes are amazing we got to see some peaks of mountains and stuff or ranges and then we got to see some crazy people actually doing some approaches and some straight up rock climbs on what's called Prusick. So yeah, it was it was a good time lots of cool stuff to see you gotta you know kind of clear out, not have to pay attention and one thing: the water taste better. Even though you have to filter it it really tastes better. Brian Schoenborn 6:38 I bet, man. Richard Brion 6:39 And it's so cold which is so awesome. Brian Schoenborn 6:42 Really. It's that's that fresh mountain water. Richard Brion 6:44 Yeah, it's all most of its all glacier or snow base filled and there's still snow up there. Oddly enough at the tail end or the middle of July in Washington state in the North Cascades. So yeah, we got to do a little snow sliding. Brian Schoenborn 6:58 Nice. Richard Brion 6:58 Yeah. In order to get is a little bit faster and more fun. Brian Schoenborn 7:02 Nice. So so for people listening, we're currently in Seattle. And in case you haven't realized it at this point, this show is pretty fucking mobile. You know, I gotta make sure that you guys know that where we are right now. So we had so you have some reference, right? It's maybe some imagination is to like, Look, you know, Seattle is fucking surrounded by god damn mountains Richard Brion 7:25 and water. Brian Schoenborn 7:26 And water. Exactly. And there's so much water so much mountains the Alpines like you're talking about the Cascades Richard Brion 7:32 and for those of you East coasters you don't know mountains till you've been here. Brian Schoenborn 7:35 Dude. Richard Brion 7:36 The Appalachians are hills. Brian Schoenborn 7:38 I remember when I was in when I was in Boston, people were like, “Oh we're gonna go to Killington in Vermont,” and I like check it out. It's like fucking ice. Like they're they're black diamonds are like bunny hill. Richard Brion 7:49 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 7:51 Like Okay, alright buddy, check out why don't why do you come by Colorado sometime or check out Seattle or Tahoe or you know, Big Bear. Richard Brion 8:00 See some actual…see some actual mountains. Brian Schoenborn 8:03 I only went skiing once, and the one time it was at Breckenridge. And my buddy who is like his big time snowboarder, and his, his brother-in-law's a professional snowboarder and snowboard instructor and shit, and he's like, “Here, have some fucking skis”, and he takes me down the blues first. I don't even know what the fuck I'm doing, dude. Brian Schoenborn 8:22 It was a…it was it was intimidating. Let's put it that way. I mean, I did it. Richard Brion 8:27 I don't know about you. But that's sort of how I learned how to swim. It was just Brian Schoenborn 8:30 Really? They just fucking threw you in there? Richard Brion 8:32 Yeah, here's here's a lake just you're getting tossed out of the boat. You'll figure it out or you don't I mean, sometimes especially the warm things. Sometimes it doesn't work out so well. Brian Schoenborn 8:41 I just remember the first time I went down, like, I got off the ski lift and I didn't know how to stand up. So like, so like, I'm like crouching with my ass is almost touching the fucking snow. And I'm still moving forward, and I'm like, “Oh shit!” Richard Brion 8:54 I'm already moving. I'm not even standing. Brian Schoenborn 8:58 I was going down the hill here. And I'm like not far from the ski live like I'm like I could see it in the distance I can see people like going up, and I fell and my both skis fell off my feet. Right? And like, I tried to stand up to go after the skis and I fucking sunk like waist deep in the god damned snow. Richard Brion 9:17 Post hold on that. That's awesome. Brian Schoenborn 9:19 People are looking at me. from above, they're going, “Hey! You okay?” I'm just like, “Leave me alone in my fucking misery.” Richard Brion 9:25 I'll just slide down. I'll just I'll just get on my stomach and slide down. That's That's hilarious. But no, yes. So the to get into this path. To get up into this part of the mountains though. It's a step you have to earn it. It's about six miles from the trailhead to the top but the last mile, you end up or it's point nine of a mile you end up taking on something in the neighborhood of like 2000 feet of elevation. Brian Schoenborn 9:56 That's pretty intense, dude. Richard Brion 9:58 Yeah, it was it. was definitely pretty interesting. It took us I there's a few different there's three little pockets of our group. The first guy took longer to eat lunch at the bottom than it did to get up, for him to walk up it but. Brian Schoenborn 10:13 Really? Richard Brion 10:13 Then again he's a former Marine. Brian Schoenborn 10:15 So he's like a mountain goat basically. Richard Brion 10:16 Yeah he's a former Marine mountain goat and spend time in Iraq, and yeah he basically did it in if not two hours, or if it took him the full two hours it was somewhere hour 45, two hours. We were a little behind him took us about two hours and 45 and then the the the stragglers in our group still did pretty good. They did it just over three hours. Just for that point nine miles and we're talking point nine of a mile that's not even that far. And it took you know, nearly three hours. Brian Schoenborn 10:45 Three hours, like that's crazy, dude. Richard Brion 10:47 Yeah, it moves up. I forget what the pitch ends up being but you're definitely doing for every foot forward. you're definitely doing some feet up. So and it definitely burns out the quads. Brian Schoenborn 10:58 Oh for sure, dude. That reminds me of… Richard Brion 11:00 …especially carrying 50 pounds. Brian Schoenborn 11:02 Right. I mean that well, that reminds me when I was in Beijing, me and three of my friends. We went camping on the Great Wall. And so so my buddy Yo, shout out to Josef. He's in Hong Kong right now. But he's, he's, uh, yeah, he actually hiked the great wall like 40 something times. He recently scaled. He recently did Mount Everest base camp, and he did it without a fucking Sherpa. Like he mapped it out himself and like, he's, this dude's a fucking hiker, dude, let's put it that way. Brian Schoenborn 11:34 But he mapped out this stretch of the wall because you know, it's technically illegal to camp on the Great Wall. So we found the stretch because, you know, it's 3000 miles long or whatever it is. So there's parts that are like unrestored, you know, not a lot of people go to. Richard Brion 11:48 You get too far out and yeah. Brian Schoenborn 11:50 And he mapped out the stretch, which was crazy. It was like rubble, dude. So for anybody that's if you haven't If you don't know much about the Great Wall if you haven't been there, it's 3000 miles but it's along a mountain spine. It's like a lot like on the ridge. Right? So like, when we get to the stretch not only was there like no parking area, you know, it was just fucking out in the boonies, right. But, you know, we stayed the night so we had our backpacks full of food and water and all that other stuff. And I swear to God, the first 45 minutes was like scrambling like hand and feet up this mountain ridge. Just to get to the wall, dude. Richard Brion 12:32 Yeah, I mean, you'd have to, based on where they are, Geographically where it is. There is a mountain range and between Mongolia and China, so. Brian Schoenborn 12:41 I mean, that's why they built the Wall. To keep the goddamn Mongolians out. Richard Brion 12:44 Yeah. And they worked for a long time. But they figured it out. Brian Schoenborn 12:51 They did. Richard Brion 12:55 Ask the Khans. Brian Schoenborn 12:56 Exactly. Well, I think they built it to keep the Khans out. Richard Brion 13:00 Yeah I'm pretty sure. Brian Schoenborn 13:01 I mean, Gengis and all the you know, I think Kublai Khan might have might have figured it out but Richard Brion 13:06 I can't remember if it was coupla or it might have been cool i'd figured it out but Brian Schoenborn 13:10 but it was you know was an ordeal but it was you know that was kind of cool like as an aside like that was kind of cool to like, you know, be in this area like like the tourist areas of the Great Wall is like full of people. Richard Brion 13:23 Oh, yeah. Brian Schoenborn 13:23 Right? I mean, they were restored in the last like 30 years it's all like new looking brick and shit like that. But just like it's like… Richard Brion 13:29 easy to get to take good photos. Brian Schoenborn 13:32 So like, like in, in Chinese and Chinese slang, they ren shan ren hai, which means people mountain people sea, which is just like fucking people everywhere. Kind of like, Well, you know, when you're when you're at a sports game, or a concert and you're leaving, you know, kind of like that. But like, all day, every day. Richard Brion 13:49 Yeah. Tokyo's pretty much that way all day every day. Brian Schoenborn 13:53 But Tokyo people have this sense of common courtesy. Richard Brion 13:58 Oh, of course. Brian Schoenborn 13:58 So it's a little bit different. Richard Brion 14:00 I mean, there's just a ton of people everywhere. Brian Schoenborn 14:02 I love China. I love Beijing. Don't get me wrong, but there's, you know, there's some they've got some room to grow in terms of stuff like that. Richard Brion 14:11 Yeah, but there's not a culture on the planet that doesn't. Brian Schoenborn 14:13 Of course. Um, but so the point being was that that long winded thing, like the point being is that we found the stretch where we didn't see a single other person for a day and a half, dude. On the Great Wall. Right, like, that's crazy. So yeah, so I can relate, in a sense, and I know, like being in the middle of nowhere, and Richard Brion 14:35 Actually, it's quite nice. It really is. I was talking to another person about it a couple weeks ago that it can be one of those temporary transformative things where the world is getting to you you're looking for a reset on everything. Some people think that you need a near death experience to really kind of set your course or to end up really influencing your life now, something like that. Brian Schoenborn 14:58 Sometimes you just need to be like out in the middle of nowhere, like Like, for example, I like I really enjoy stand up paddleboarding. And I like it, you know, for the workout, of course, but like what I really like about it is I can be 100 yards out from the beach, but I'm miles away from anybody. Richard Brion 15:15 Yeah, Brian Schoenborn 15:16 You know? Richard Brion 15:17 It can be that simple. But yeah, so you don't have to you don't have to go so crazy and do you know, 30 miles and four days in order to really kind of get it, but it can be anything for some people. I mean, I've got a friend that does it in music. He goes out to his garage, and it basically changes his life for a while. Yeah. Until the people creep back. Brian Schoenborn 15:38 Yeah, exactly. That sounds really cool. That's so So tell me a little bit about like, let's go back. I want to go back back back back back. Like, you know, talk about your Navy stuff. Talk about your Blackwater shit, because, you know, even with those backpacking stuff, like there's, there's stuff that's like, I'm sure there's stuff that you took from there that's still relevant to this sort of thing, right. Richard Brion 15:57 Yeah. I mean, moreso the Blackwater days in the post military contractor days, did a lot more trampling around in the mountains, places like Afghanistan, which oddly enough: Afghanistan and New Mexico sorry New Mexico but I mean, you're just the Afghanistan in the United States. Geographically, it's pretty much the same the way the structure… Brian Schoenborn 16:21 Shout out to New Mexico. Richard Brion 16:22 Yeah, the way the the structure of the cities are set up. It's actually oddly similar. You've got the Albuquerque to Santa Fe, which is pretty much your Kabul to Bagram kind of thing. And then you go up into the Taos mountains in New Mexico and that's like heading up towards the Salong Pass of Afghanistan. Looks pretty much the same. Probably a good reason that Jarhead the movie was filmed actually in Albuquerque. Brian Schoenborn 16:44 Was it? Richard Brion 16:44 Yeah, so there, there's a whole lot to it and I guess I shouldn't shout so badly in this microphone before I start creating some feedback. Brian Schoenborn 16:51 Oh, you can shout all you want, dude. It's all good. Richard Brion 16:52 It sounded like I was getting a little bit of reverb. Brian Schoenborn 16:55 If you see it turning red. That's when you know that you're saying too much. Richard Brion 16:58 That I'm saying too much? Or too loud? Brian Schoenborn 17:03 Pack it up. Richard Brion 17:06 It's the Supreme, the Supreme Court light. You're green, you're good yellow starts to run out of time you hit red. Nope. Stop talking. Oh, yeah. So I mean, Afghanistan, I learned quite a bit about being able to carry weight through mountainous terrain and whatnot. And one of the things you learn that's interesting is when you're going downhill, is foot placement can be incredibly important in terms of how you do it and the heel stomp activity that most people don't do…only when they're in snow, it actually helps out quite a bit. Brian Schoenborn 17:38 What is this heel stomp activity? Richard Brion 17:38 So we have a tendency to walk heel, toe, heel toe, or when we're going downhill or runners do they go more to a mid strike toward their foot is. But if you actually kind of lean back, stand straight up when you got weight and you kind of straighten your leg and then drop your heel first, solidly into the loose terrain. Whether that's sand or snow and then you kind of cant, you kind of cant your feet outward almost like you're doing a kind of like a military salute stance. You get that 45 degree angle. You just set your feet… Brian Schoenborn 17:50 Yeah, heels together. Feet slightly apart, toes slightly apart. Richard Brion 18:17 Yeah. And then just kind of step each one at a time that way and it makes for good solid footing when you're not and you can move pretty quick downhill that way. Brian Schoenborn 18:26 That's interesting, like Richard Brion 18:27 I learned it from…oddly enough, I learned it from the Afghans. I grew up around mountains, and it's not something I've ever done. And I see them run down these steep sandy faces and I'm like, “Wait a minute, how did you do that?” They're like, “Oh, you know, we know how to do it.” Brian Schoenborn 18:43 So that reminds me of this. This time I did. I did a three day, two night homestay in northern Vietnam, like Sapa Valley, the foothills of the Himalayas, right? Richard Brion 18:55 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 18:55 Um, I was in good cycling shape at that point. So like my legs were strong or whatever. But like, I my guide was this lady she was like, I don't know, probably 30 something, 30 ish. But like, fucking four feet tall. Brian Schoenborn 19:09 She's tiny you know, minority minority village person, that sort of thing. And she wore these like, these sandals these cheap ass plastic sandals with just that wide band that goes across. It's not a thong, it's anything like that. And holy shit dude, she just boo boo boo boo boo boo boo boo up and down up and down, like no no beaten path, right like we're going up and down these Himalayan the foothills, right? Richard Brion 19:37 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 19:37 Just going up and down and stuff like mud path and you know and she's just flying dude. And like so I took it upon myself like, “I gotta keep up at her.” Point of pride. Richard Brion 19:47 Spoken like a true marine. Brian Schoenborn 19:49 Exactly. Richard Brion 19:53 That reminds me I one time in Thailand, you know they they've got the little Muay Thai boxers. Brian Schoenborn 20:00 Oh sure. Yeah. Richard Brion 20:01 They always have to tell the Marines when you come into port don't get in. Don't Don't do it. Don't do it. Sure enough, there's always a marine. It's like, I can try this. And this dude, you know, the funniest ones are when they're like, 14, 15 year old kids and they think that it's they think that Oh, I'm a big bad marine that the Marine Corps trained me and then… Brian Schoenborn 20:19 This guy looks scrawny. Richard Brion 20:20 Yeah, within seconds they get their ass whooped by this little, four foot tall 85 pound Thai kid that yeah, he's just tough as nails, but spoken like a true marine I got taken upon myself to keep up with him. Richard Brion 20:35 The few, the proud All right. Well, unfortunately isn't it isn't an old biblical proverb that says pride cometh before the fall? Brian Schoenborn 20:35 Right? It's a point of pride man. That's how we roll. Brian Schoenborn 20:48 There it is. Spoken like a true squid. Richard Brion 20:57 We, yeah, we some of us, we try to we try to finesse it a little bit rather than just brute force everything. Brian Schoenborn 21:03 Grace, fall gracefully. Richard Brion 21:04 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 21:05 Tell me a little bit more about this Afghanistan stuff. So this was in your in this wasn't we were working with Blackwater or was this the Navy? Richard Brion 21:10 So I was doing I was Brian Schoenborn 21:13 like, what timeframe was this? Richard Brion 21:14 So this is like, when was that? It was like 2004 or five ish. Brian Schoenborn 21:21 Okay, so that's likely the heat of Afghanistan. Richard Brion 21:25 I was at Well, it was in a weird it was in a weird transition like right at the beginning. It was on that transitioning period from still being really hot in everywhere to where then Kabul and some of the other places, Bagram and whatnot. Even parts of Nangahar and whatnot. It kind of settled down to kind of an equilibrium for quite some time. We were able to go… Brian Schoenborn 21:48 Was this before or after they put Karzai in power? Richard Brion 21:52 This was during Karzai. Karzai been in for a couple of years by this point, I think or at least or at least a year. Brian Schoenborn 22:00 I'm just trying to refresh memory cuz, you know, like I was active during 911. Right? I didn't serve obviously. But I mean, I didn't go over there for reasons out of my control. But, you know, my unit was a first to go Iraq, right? Richard Brion 22:07 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 22:11 But it was Afghanistan first so it was 911, Afghanistan, and then for whatever reason, they said, Hey, we gotta go to Iraq too, which was bullshit. But that's a whole nother thing. Richard Brion 22:23 Were you first Marines? Brian Schoenborn 22:24 My my unit was 3/1. Richard Brion 22:26 3/1? Brian Schoenborn 22:27 Third Battalion, First Marines. We were I MEF. We fought in Fallujah. Richard Brion 22:31 Yeah. My uh… Brian Schoenborn 22:32 We were the first battle in Fallujah. Richard Brion 22:33 My buddy that's a border patrol. He was in Afghanistan at the time, before I met him. He was active duty Marine for 3/1. Brian Schoenborn 22:42 No shit? Richard Brion 22:43 Yeah, he was a … Brian Schoenborn 22:44 Do you know what company he was in? Richard Brion 22:46 311. I want to say. Brian Schoenborn 22:48 Well, no, it's no No, no, no, no, no, it's three one and then the. So I was weapons company. Yeah, but it was like Lima, India and Kilo. Richard Brion 22:57 I would have done what I would have to ask him. But Brian Schoenborn 23:00 Lima, India, Kilo and Weapons Company. I was in Weapons Company. Was he rifle man or was he a weapons guy? Richard Brion 23:02 He was. He was infantry straight up grant. He was. He was the Brian Schoenborn 23:06 0311? Richard Brion 23:07 Yeah, he was 0311. He was he was the sergeant for his platoon. The actual, the Soldier of Fortune magazine actually, at one point there was a photo taken. So he was the Marine Sergeant that was actually tasked with doing the Marcus Luttrell recovery after, and the interesting story was we were in the same place basically at the same time didn't know each other yet. So it was with Blackwater. We were in Kabul. Brian Schoenborn 23:34 We might have even been in boot camp together. That's weird. That's fucking me up. Richard Brion 23:38 He's younger Yeah, I think he's younger but um, so he he's closer. But yeah, so anyway, so Brian Schoenborn 23:46 So 3/1 didn't, we were not in Afghanistan. The unit that went to Afghanistan before like the first ones in was 1/5. Richard Brion 23:54 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 23:54 First Battalion, fifth Marines. Richard Brion 23:55 I had them backwards. They were also saying it was 1/5 was Iraq and 3/1 was Afghanistan. Brian Schoenborn 24:00 They were also based in Camp Pendleton. They were near us. So I was in Camp Horno, which is kind of the it's like the coastal kind of North ish area. One five was right at the border of the base. I hope I'm not giving away government secrets, sorry, government. But ish ish, you know, but kind of kind of kind of at the, you know, kind of near the border between, you know, between San Diego and Orange County. Richard Brion 24:26 Yeah. And, but to funny, the interesting thing was is so during the whole Lone Survivor incident, I was in Kabul with Blackwater and a bunch of the Blackwater team were were former SEALs that were actually good friends with a lot of those guys. Brian Schoenborn 24:44 Oh shit, man. Richard Brion 24:45 So when it went down twice, we actually were planning, sending taking a helicopter down and Nangahar and getting out towards that area and jumping into the recovery mission until there was a… at first it we were having the green line and somebody decided was probably not the right idea to have private contractors handling that kind of thing. Richard Brion 25:05 So, so my buddy, because helicopters and air support was off limits because of the two helicopters getting shot down. So he was the sergeant that led the platoon on foot to go in, and they got ambushed. And then during the ambush, I don't know, I still don't know. And I'm not sure even he knows how the photograph was taken. But it ended up becoming one of the Marine Corps coins as well. There's a picture of Marines squatting down behind a rock: one with a with a rifle aimed, the other one making a phone call. And that photo made Soldier of Fortune and it was also made a Marine Corps coin and my buddy's that sergeant, is one of those two guys that are memorialized in that coin. Brian Schoenborn 25:45 That's crazy, dude. Richard Brion 25:46 Then he ended up becoming a contractor, working with me in Blackwater in Japan, then we went to Iraq together with another contracting company and… Brian Schoenborn 25:52 So so for late for so the listeners out there, let me let me let me explain what a private contractor for Blackwater is in terms of you can understand. He's a fucking mercenary. Right? I mean paid, you know you're for-hire security services in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. Does that sound…is that fair? Is that accurate? Richard Brion 26:15 Yeah, pretty much. Brian Schoenborn 26:16 He's just like, “Yeah whatever, you know, it's all in a day's work.” Richard Brion 26:20 Well, I mean it. So it's a perspective thing. Brian Schoenborn 26:23 Yeah, for sure. Of course. Richard Brion 26:24 So I sit down and I watched the show the Deadliest Catch from time to time you know, like, crazy assed crab fisherman and I think that is the craziest… Brian Schoenborn 26:31 That's a crazy fucking job but that also pays well, Richard Brion 26:33 Well, of course it does. and… Brian Schoenborn 26:35 it was like six months and they make like six figures in six like, Richard Brion 26:38 Yeah, of course. But to me, I think that it's crazy. It's a crazy ass job. Now, a good chunk of those guys would think that what I was doing back in the day, as a contractor with Blackwater and all this stuff was crazy stupid. And I mean, when you think about it, there's some there's some dumb things and we called it delayed death a little bit as you're dead being there. It's just a matter of if your card got called what while you're actually in country or not, but It's perspective. Richard Brion 27:01 You know, for me, those those Deadliest Catch people were way crazier than I was doing. But then again, it's because I was doing a job that I was well trained to do and well equipped for. Richard Brion 27:11 And I knew my equipment no different than an electrician knows his pliers and his wire strippers and everything else no different than a crab fisherman knows his nets in gear. For me, I always thought the distinction was is that humans are a lot more predictable than nature. So So when you're out there, even when you're even when you're surprised in an ambush, there's still things that humans do that are predictable on some level. So you can still make plans on some degree and you can still rely on them with some level of reliability, but nature just does whatever the hell it wants. Brian Schoenborn 27:11 Sure. Brian Schoenborn 27:45 There's no stopping nature, dude. Richard Brion 27:45 I mean, even when they're even when there's weather predictions and weather forecasts. I mean, Brian Schoenborn 27:50 Weathermen are never right, man. Richard Brion 27:51 Yeah, especially in these places, right. So, I mean, you were in in China too. The South China Sea? Brian Schoenborn 27:58 Oh, dude, they have typhoons all the time, man. Richard Brion 28:00 I know and it's so unpredictable. So you're going out into this thing with against effectively an opponent or a foe that you can't predict anything. You're just flying by the seat of your pants all of the time hoping for the best. So, I mean, that's, I guess that's what perspective is. So yeah, it was some crazy environments. You know, Afghanistan Kabul, you know, Nangahar, Salong. Up there in Iraq. I was mostly I was in Baghdad proper, but then we were in Diwaniya, which if you want to go look that up that was that was a fun show. It's on. Brian Schoenborn 28:33 Let's look it up right now. I wanna see what you're talking about. Richard Brion 28:36 So yeah, so it was a camp, or that Camp Echo? In Diwania. So this camp, when we first when Yeah, there it is, right there. Diwania, Iraq. So it's a couple hours south. Brian Schoenborn 28:57 I'll post information on this. What do we do when we post The show but yeah… Richard Brion 29:01 Oh l ook at that Polish troops in Iraq, Camp Echo. So so basically it was this little postage stamp of a forward operating base in central Iraq near near the Nijef province. But this thing was so small. I mean, it was literally probably the size of a small school compound. Brian Schoenborn 29:21 The camp or the town? Richard Brion 29:22 The entire camp. Brian Schoenborn 29:24 Wow, that's tiny. Richard Brion 29:24 In the in this town yeah and so they had this tire factory in town and whatnot and so it was first… Brian Schoenborn 29:30 It's the last place you would expect a military encampment to be. That's good shit. Richard Brion 29:36 But it was kind of a key point for the Nijef province for the US Army Corps of Engineers but this so initially post the invasion and us trying to figure out what to do you know, we brought in the coalition. The Spanish took it, and no offense to those Spaniards out there but you kind of you lost it. You got overrun. And it's because the city, I mean, and to be fair, it's not It's not as it wasn't a super large base, the area would go through ebbs and flows where the insurgency would build up and it would dissipate, but eventually they got overrun. Richard Brion 30:11 So then the Polish took over. And they were the ones running the camp when we were there with a small contingent of US Army, Military Police. And so and and basically the it was this kind of school kids playing with each other, where the Polish would completely be out in town, in full force, and then they would slowly start drawing back towards the base. The insurgency would get more and more emboldened by it. And then at some point, we ended up having to drop a MOAB, which is a “mother of all bombs” into the middle of the city, kind of kind of reset the situation. Richard Brion 30:55 The Polish went back out, they kind of held it and then they got drawn back to the base. So Diwaniya was probably the dodgiest place I was it was we were getting rocketed pretty much every night. Brian Schoenborn 31:07 Those are RPGs, right? Richard Brion 31:09 155 Katooshes. Brian Schoenborn 31:12 I'm not familiar with that. Richard Brion 31:14 So usually you know one five fives are your largest you can over the one of the some of the largest there are a lot louder, bigger than standard mortar there, you know. 155 millimeter. Brian Schoenborn 31:25 Mortars are no joke. I know some I remember, I had some mortar men in my CAAT platoon. Yeah, I mean, those guys are pretty hardcore. Richard Brion 31:32 I mean rules of engagement. This was starting to change as well. So we weren't allowed to specifically do straight up counter battery. Which for those that don't know counter battery just means we use sound to triangulate a rough position of where they might have been coming from. And then you just rocket everything back. Brian Schoenborn 31:49 Yeah. Richard Brion 31:49 Which is effective in certain circumstances, but at the same time, Brian Schoenborn 31:54 It's also essentially spray and pray. Richard Brion 31:55 Yeah, there's there can be significant collateral damage, and so we were, we were drawing back on that and the problem was they were putting their their rockets and stuff into mounts in the back of pickup trucks. So basically even by the time you were able to get a 3 pings triangulation for a counter battery, the truck had already moved. So even, you know, and then you're firing even within 30 seconds to a minute, if it took that if it was that fast, truck could still fire and move. So, the likelihood of you actually hitting the target that was rocketing you was small, so then, you know we get rocketed every day and of course, we were contractors. We had Polish. We had a Polish dude that was French, former French Foreign Legion, some British special boat guys, special air guys on the team. Couple of Army Greenie Beanies. l Brian Schoenborn 32:48 When you say special boat and special air, you're talking like Special Forces. Richard Brion 32:51 Yes. So the so the British they have their SS in there. SBS, so their Special Air Service and their special boats, which is kind of basically the SAS would be sort of like our it's a cross somewhere between our Army Special Forces and our US Air Force paratroopers in terms of responsibility. And then special boats are basically like their version of a Navy seal. Brian Schoenborn 32:51 So basically, you're a Motley Crue badass motherfuckers basically. Richard Brion 32:51 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 33:17 Okay, got it. Richard Brion 33:18 And then we had some, also some Royal Marine commandos, so kind of like our recon Marines and whatnot. So we had a hodgepodge of British, American, and European guys that were on this team all well-trained, but also a little bit mad in the head, as they would say. Brian Schoenborn 33:36 You kind of have to be off to go to do some of that stuff. Richard Brion 33:40 A little bit. Yeah. And then it got even more strange. So we lived kind of nearest to where the marine or not where the Marine Corps, where the army military police unit was. So every every evening the rocket… Brian Schoenborn 33:51 I bet they had their hands full. Richard Brion 33:52 Oh, they definitely did. But every every evening, the rockets always came in right around the same time. Everybody else has all hunkered down in places. And where we go, we get our chow, we come back, then we all sit around the proverbial campfire just bullshitting with our, with our gear, our guns, our body armor… Brian Schoenborn 34:11 As these bombs are going off. Richard Brion 34:12 And basically we're having what we called our mortar tea parties. We were drinking tea and biscuits, you know cookies and tea, waiting for the mortars to start and then the gear was all preset because then we'd have to repel borders, which again, for those that don't know what that means. That means that they would use the rockets in order to distract us because we're all hiding, hopefully then they could storm the walls. So basically, it was this kind of tit for tat thing, they'd rocket us then they would try to mount an offensive to come over the wall. So you have to have your gear with you in the mortar shelters to be ready for it. So we just kind of sat around every day just having a chat kind of like we're having right now. Just bullshiting, laughing and just waiting for them. And some of those those army military police guys thought we were batshit crazy. Brian Schoenborn 34:59 Of course! They have every right to think that. Richard Brion 35:03 AAnd maybe we were, but like I said that the those guys that go pick up crab fishing jobs in Alaska, they're crazier than me as far as I'm concerned. Brian Schoenborn 35:10 That's the thing that I'm talking about, right? Like like in the Marines, like my Marine Corps training, even as short as it was, like one of those things you realize it like you can be ,you can experience, you can be in the middle of experiencing fucking hell, dude. But what you realize that if you're with there was somebody, if you're there with somebody else and you can sit there and bullshit about stuff while while this is all happening? It's a completely different thing, dude. It makes it manageable. Richard Brion 35:38 Well, yeah it does. And I mean, Afghanistan was the same way so that circa 2004, 2005 and got to the point where we were allowed to go on town, there were Lebanese restaurants, French restaurants… Brian Schoenborn 35:55 You're allowed to go off base and like, check out the town? Richard Brion 35:57 Yeah. So as Blackwater we lived in our own compound anyway. We also we were running, we were help training counternarcotics police for the government in Afghanistan. We were doing those kinds of things. So we were we weren't doing a lot of things directly with US military. They had, we were getting support from them. So we could access military installations. We got Intel from them, of course, was since we were working in the same sphere, we also had to have crypto to be able to talk back and forth, so that we could deconflict so that in the event that we were out on our own thing, and in the middle of a fight and US military or ISAF forces were in the middle of a fight. We could make sure that we weren't shooting at each other kind of kind of important, you know, blue on blue. Brian Schoenborn 36:43 Crypto meaning encrypted messaging? Richard Brion 36:46 Yeah, encrypted radio, you know, the big old fat, you see them on movies. Brian Schoenborn 36:49 So you're free to talk, but nobody can intercept it. Richard Brion 36:52 Yeah, exactly. So basically, you see them on any of those military movies. You know, the guy standing back there with the little what looks like antique headset phone… Brian Schoenborn 37:02 One of my buddies was a comm guy, man. You look at before you stick it, when you put that little… Richard Brion 37:07 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 37:07 When you put the antenna on you got to like. Richard Brion 37:09 yeah they the old mark one seven you know the different radios and whatnot and and then they came up with some slightly better ones but the range was different so I mean yeah we were we were out there doing, but yeah we could go on the internet they have an Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, no joke, from the Intercontinental Hotel Group it's still there. As of 2018 when I was there last in Kabul, it's a little bit harder to get to in from these days, but back then there was a you could go get a proper massage at the hotel. You could go for lunch or whatever and they had a swimming pool you could take in there. They even had a lake resort in just outside Kabul that had a golf course that we could go on. Brian Schoenborn 37:51 Oh, it's crazy. So, I mean, so it sounds like you were pretty like ingrained into Kabul and the, you know, the local culture a little bit like did you I mean, did you stand out like a sore thumb or like what you know Richard Brion 38:08 For the most part… Brian Schoenborn 38:08 Like your interactions with the Afghans with the Afghans and stuff like that? Richard Brion 38:11 Yeah, I mean for the most part of course we stood out like sore thumbs but then again there was enough Western and I sat forces that there was no real distinguishment between who was who and you know, who was white, I mean, contractors we kind of dress like each other but then again, contractor dress looks like British Special Air Service dress. So you know, and then of course, you have your other governmental groups and they all dress kind of however, and so it was almost impossible to distinguish one set from another. Brian Schoenborn 38:40 Sure. Richard Brion 38:40 You could be at a restaurant having you know, having a meal with these people and they could have been FBI, they could have been, you know, any other lettered soup or they could have been a contractor or they could have been active duty Special Forces. There was really no way to tell unless you got into the weeds with it. Everybody wore beards, but as far as me? Oddly enough, you, you put the right kind of Afghan clothes on and I had my beard grown out and with the blue eyes and I could look like I'm an Afghan from the Panjshir Valley because Russian influence to the Panjshir area. Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 38:57 So did you? I mean, did you interact with, like the Afghan people? Or was it mostly with the other military units? Richard Brion 39:19 Oh, no, we were moreso Afghans and then I my job was intelligence. So I was a lot more interacting with them. But there's a famous street in Kabul. It's called Chicken Street. Basically, it's, every city pretty much has one. That's kind of where you go to get a lot of your tangible goods. So we could go down and get trinkets and rugs and everything else and we used to go down to Chicken Street and you could get a suit fitted. I have I still have them actually in my closet a few of the suits that an Afghan Taylor put together for me. Richard Brion 39:54 There was a barber that I would go in that would use all the old school hand tools, no power, to do trims and stuff and we used to, we used to get kids to come with us, because the Afghans themselves have this “kids are off-limits” in terms of this thing. So, Pakistanis and the Iraqis, unfortunately, don't quite have that same threshold when it comes to kids, but the Afghans do. So you get the kids that are out trying to make a buck or whatever else, and you give them some money and some food and then they would go recruit their friends. And then when you wanted to go into a place, they would then crowd the door, so that it would keep people that could be or are thinking about taking advantage of the situation from doing so because kids were off-limits. Brian Schoenborn 40:39 Yeah. Richard Brion 40:40 And so and then some of the elders in the village in the city and stuff that were around didn't mind it either, because we were giving the kids some sort of value and job, you know, we were giving them food and they were helping us out. And there was a similar thing in Djibouti one at one point and I can't get into the why I was there and with whom… Brian Schoenborn 41:00 Dammit. Richard Brion 41:00 But you pay, Brian Schoenborn 41:03 I wanna hear that styory. I always want to hear the ones that you can't talk about. Richard Brion 41:06 Yeah, I know, right? But the funny part about the story was is, there was there was a kid and you paid 20 bucks he would come he actually had this he had the racket down. He would come and he had this big stick and you'd be like, “I be your bodyguard” all in English. Couple couple of few bucks in English he would tell you he would be the bodyguard. And then he would have liked two of his little friends and they were doing, and I did protection details for years. So I had all these this training on doing the box and the, you know, contact rules, but Brian Schoenborn 41:33 What is it what is the box? Richard Brion 41:35 So the box we did, so depending on there's triangles, there's boxes. It's how you set your people up to do protection. So we always ran a five man box. Brian Schoenborn 41:46 Okay, so basically you had four corners and then one in the middle? Richard Brion 41:49 You have four corners, and then one in the middle standing next to the client that was basically the client director and then so depending on how contact goes you can close the box and basically create a wall. Brian Schoenborn 41:58 Got it. Richard Brion 41:58 But these these three little kids, they had their own little version of a protective detail triangle down with sticks. And then if people got too close, they would kind of, and sometimes even with some of the adults in the area, they even had a little, like playful ruse for the adults would kind of give them a little, a little reason to practice. So, you know, and then the little kid that was in charge was like, you know, “don't worry right now”, and then the adults would kind of come up and play and then they would like beat him back with the sticks and stuff like kind of keep practice. It was kind of interesting, but Brian Schoenborn 42:31 Enterprising entrepreneurial little kids over there. Richard Brion 42:33 Exactly. very entrepreneurial on how they were doing it. And in Kabul, it was that way too. There were stores that you want to go in and the kids would go in first and kind of rush all the other people out. And again, that sounds very privileged of us. We were able to have little kids kind of push the rest of the adults out but at the same time, like I said, it was that weird in between phase of the community where the the adults didn't mind so much because we were spending money in local shops and we were having some, we're having interactions with the kids. So in their own way it allowed it created a sense of security for us and a peace of mind for us that we knew there wasn't someone in the store waiting, gave the kids something to do then we were spending money on the local economy. So we felt that we were giving back a little bit a little bit. Brian Schoenborn 43:17 And you were giving the kids food and other stuff too. Richard Brion 43:19 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 43:19 So they were so they're, they're getting benefits for their services too, right? Richard Brion 43:22 Yeah. And I mean, we've had a lot of the guys thought I was crazy, but we had a little…but, I mean, so I there was a lot that I had to do that was by myself. So I was driving around a lot by myself places and there was a, there was this little rig on a rickety cart that was an engine with a set of wheels and basically you turn it on and you would feed what looked like a sugar cane through it. And then it would come out as a juice or something. Brian Schoenborn 43:53 Oh yeah! Sugarcane juice. Yeah. That's all over the place. Like I've had that in India. Richard Brion 43:58 Yeah, that's what I didn't realize that sugar cane. Something that was really available. Brian Schoenborn 44:01 It's literally just pressed cane liquid right? Richard Brion 44:03 Yeah, and it, but at the time I wasn't completely sure that was sugar cane because I still to this day not hundred percent certainly sugar cane grows naturally in Afghanistan, but in either case it was just it was kind of dirty looking cart but I would pull over for $1 whatever it was at the time I would get one and you know it's not like the United States or you pop in and they give you a bottle you take with you or whatever, it's just a glass. Brian Schoenborn 44:29 It's not the processed stuff. Richard Brion 44:31 Well, yeah, and it's just a glass that you drink it there. Brian Schoenborn 44:33 You drink it on the spot, right? Richard Brion 44:34 They take the glass right? Yep, they take the glass back and they wash it so you know a lot of guys are like, “hey man, you're kinda it's kind of dirty kind of don't know.” I didn't care. I liked it, and the other thing that I really liked to this day is Afghan naan you know? You can get naan everywhere else but the Afghan naan to me is some of the best I've ever had. Brian Schoenborn 44:53 So, like, how is it different from like Indian naan? So naaa, like n-a-a-n, like a flatbread? Richard Brion 44:59 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 44:59 Like Indian food that you would like take and like scoop with the curries and stuff. Richard Brion 45:03 Yeah and so you get Stone Fire here in the US makes it, is a brand that will make it. But it's it's a little bit more I would almost say even though it's unleavened, it's almost a little more leavened than Afghan, it's a little bit a little bit softer, which most people are like bread, you know, soft bread, but for some reason, the way that whatever it is in the recipe, and it's slightly more crispness to it. Brian Schoenborn 45:29 So it's crisp? It's not like a thick chew? Richard Brion 45:31 Not not quite like a thick chew, but it just something about it. You know, I could probably deal less with the fact that the way it was delivered is just a dude on a motorbike, sticks it under his arm after all day. Brian Schoenborn 45:44 That's what I'm talking about, dude. That's the real shit. You know, what I love about traveling, just diving deep and like, you know, there's millions of people that like eat that, you know, eat stuff like that or live a certain way like you don't, you can't really understand or appreciate another culture unless you really dive into it. You know? Richard Brion 45:58 Well yeah, and so this is a good story. Right, so I can I can say the guy's name now because it doesn't matter, but his name was General Aasif. He was the he was the general from the Afghan government. I don't know if he was specifically Afghan National Police or if he was Afghan National Army, but he had a general title general uniform. And he was in charge of the Narcotics Interdiction Unit, which is what we call the, basically, the Afghan version of the DEA. And he's no longer involves anybody that might be listening that thinks that they're getting any intel, he is not. But he used to think that I was so skinny. And so every time I come to his office, I mean, Brian Schoenborn 46:40 You're a slim dude, you're lengthy. Richard Brion 46:41 But I'm heavier than people would think. Right? And so especially then I was working out a couple times a day I was eating quite a bit. You know, when there's nothing else to do. You take your legal supplements and your protein shakes and your nitrus oxide and lift at the gym. You know, do all the bro things, right? Brian Schoenborn 47:01 No, of course. You got nothing else to do, you know, in an area like that. Richard Brion 47:04 And I mean, we had a lot to do, but there's still times when there's downtime, right? Brian Schoenborn 47:08 Sure. Richard Brion 47:08 Between stuff scene workout and you make sure that you're fit to do. Brian Schoenborn 47:12 Yeah, right. I mean, that's what I mean. Richard Brion 47:13 Yeah, it is part of your job. So you're fit to your job, but he would always want to give me food. So it was meatballs and naan and chai and… Brian Schoenborn 47:22 General Aasif always wanted to give you food. Richard Brion 47:23 Yeah. And so it was goat meatballs and lamb meatballs. Brian Schoenborn 47:27 Oh, dude, that sounds so good. Richard Brion 47:28 And I mean, at first I was in, you know, because I was still young, they're still fairly. I mean, I've been to a few places by this point, but I was still a little bit of an isolationist when it came to the local cultures at this point, because this, this happened from the moment I walked into Afghanistan, right into General Aasif's office there is just trying, and so he's feeding me food that I know came off the off of the local economy that wasn't specifically off of the military base that had, you know, all of the, what do they call it the HACCP or whatever. Brian Schoenborn 48:03 The HAACP? Richard Brion 48:04 Yes, sir. Yeah health standard yeah the health standards and servsafe. And, you know, they, they definitely didn't have their authorized food handler's permit. So I was a little bit apprehensive but truthfully I got in I didn't, didn't get sick. The only place that the only time I got food poisoning in Afghanistan was when I went to a Lebanese restaurant, that's an actual restaurant, but owned my Lebanese people, and to this day, I have a hard time with hummus. Because the only thing I ate that night was hummus because it was just there for a quick meeting. And it made me so sick they had a banana bag me for like three or four days. Brian Schoenborn 48:42 I have no idea what that means but it doesn't sound good. Richard Brion 48:44 So banana bags are. There are basically an IV fluid bag and it's very bright yellow, banana in color almost. That's why we call them banana but it's basically hydration bag. Brian Schoenborn 48:55 Oh got ya. Richard Brion 48:56 You know the team medics and stuff, you get way too drunk you know from whatever and they would banana bag you and it's good way to, but I needed a banana back for like 3 or 4 days. Brian Schoenborn 49:06 Good way to get your head right. Richard Brion 49:07 Yeah and it was pretty It was pretty gnarly. Brian Schoenborn 49:09 You know it's funny that you talk about the food poisoning thing, right? Like like, I was in Asia for almost four years. Richard Brion 49:14 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 49:15 Right? I traveled through Southeast Asia. Fucking Beijing all over China, South Korea all over the place. Indonesia, Australia. Everywhere dude, and I dive dive super deep. I get local street food, all that shit. I got food poisoning once in my four time in my four years there. Richard Brion 49:34 American restaurant? Brian Schoenborn 49:35 American barbecue restaurant. Richard Brion 49:37 Doesn't surprise me. Brian Schoenborn 49:38 The pulled pork sandwich dude. Richard Brion 49:39 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 49:40 Fucked me up. I was fucking like, it was literally like hours after I had this dude. I was just like, I could not puke enough. Richard Brion 49:48 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 49:49 Just all night long. Just dry heaving. It was fucking awful, dude. Richard Brion 49:55 Well, no, and I'm like you I got and after that point, I dove in. Iraq. You know, local food everywhere. In Japan I ate on the local economy a lot of the other guys that were there that came later you know, they were like oh there's McDonald's there let's get the McDonald's on the way to work. And me there I was with the… Brian Schoenborn 50:12 Fuck that. Richard Brion 50:13 with that sticky rice it's like a mayo finish like a mayo filling in it or whatever. Brian Schoenborn 50:18 Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Richard Brion 50:19 And then you know, I've got the rice dishes and I I like to go to the yakiniku places which is you know, you cook your own little barbecue, meats… Brian Schoenborn 50:28 Yeah, they do that in China too. They call it chuar. Yeah, it's a Beijing dialect. Brian Schoenborn 50:34 Were they giggling too? Richard Brion 50:34 I'm pretty sure it's yakiniku is what it is, I'm I might be slightly incorrect there. It's been a while but so for those who speak Japanese, you know, you know, I'm sorry for this but but it was it was really I loved it the sushi I mean, it got so local that there was a local family that was involved in running one of the little drinky bars we go to, they invited me and a couple of guys back on to this barbecue out on the coast. And we drove out to the coast. I still remember one of the pictures, actually my buddy that was a marine, he was one of those guys with us. And we took a picture of the cloud that just looked like a phallic symbol one day. One of the Japanese girls pointed it out. So the van had a sunroof… Richard Brion 50:59 And they're looking at the cloud. So what, they had a sunroof in the van we're all riding in so I stood up through the sunroof, because of course I'm the tallest dude in the van. Brian Schoenborn 51:26 And they point at it like, “Penisuh!” Richard Brion 51:27 So well I'm and I took a picture of it. So I still have the picture somewhere. But we get to the coast and we're having barbecued eel and everything, and then also uni, which for those that don't know the Japanese word, it's sea urchin. Brian Schoenborn 51:40 Sea urchin. One of my favorite foods. Richard Brion 51:41 Yeah. And so you can you can get it at your sushi restaurants but the best I ever had was the little kids were going down into the water sticking their hand right in the water grabbing it right out and then we were just popping in straight outta right on this remote beach and way north Honshu, Japan, the Honshu island of Japan. It was awesome. Brian Schoenborn 52:01 So, I mean, so where were you in Japan? I mean, you were there for a while, right? Richard Brion 52:05 Yeah, I was there for just shy of a year. Brian Schoenborn 52:07 Okay. Richard Brion 52:07 So we were we were on the far north end of Honshu. So um, Brian Schoenborn 52:13 And Honshu is what? Richard Brion 52:14 Honshu's the main island in Japan. Brian Schoenborn 52:16 Like Tokyo and stuff? Richard Brion 52:17 Yes, so Tokyo is on the southern. Brian Schoenborn 52:19 Japan like, yeah, primarily that island, right? Yes. Osaka of course. Richard Brion 52:25 Hokkaido in the north, right. Yes. So on to the main about Okinawa, which is right there. So Honshu was the main way up there. Yeah. So Tokyo is way south, almost on the complete opposite end of the contract Brian Schoenborn 52:36 Roughly how long of a train ride would that be or something? Richard Brion 52:39 So bullet train, it was like two hours and 45 minutes by car… Richard Brion 52:42 By car, it's like a 12-hour drive. Brian Schoenborn 52:42 Bullet train's going, like 200 miles a hour. Brian Schoenborn 52:47 Yeah. Okay. Richard Brion 52:47 And that's down the toll road. So that's pretty much nothing else but toll road and freeway and it's 12 hours. So basically, if you were to look on a map and you see where miss our airbase is, and then take a ruler and draw straight line To the other side of the island from them on that same skinny part. Yeah, that's where we were, was called the Aomori prefect or Aomoir prefect would be more more precise. And we were in a little town called Goshuguara. And we had to stay in a Japanese hotel and let me tell you, I mean, this one had a… Brian Schoenborn 53:16 What kind of Japanese hotel was this? I've heard a few. I've heard about a few different types of Japanese hotels. Richard Brion 53:21 It wasn't any of those. But it was…. Brian Schoenborn 53:23 Not a love hotel? Richard Brion 53:24 Well no, it was not a love hotel. And it was done…and it was also not one of the not one of the space pod ones are all bed slides out and stuff. Brian Schoenborn 53:31 I slept in one of those. In Bangkok I think. Or Saigon, one of them. Richard Brion 53:35 Yeah. And so it was still, I mean, it still was a room a desk. It was a queen size mattress, but there wasn't really room for much other. I mean, literally, I had to take the chair out for the desk so that the bed was my chair because that there I mean, there was no point. You couldn't pull the desk out. Brian Schoenborn 53:37 Dude, I slept in a pod that like, literally, like there's a hallway and on the left and on the right It looks like these bunk beds, but they're walled off and it's literally just this like, elongated hole. Richard Brion 54:05 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 54:06 …that you slide into. It's just a bed. And there's a there's a TV at the foot of it. So if you want to watch TV you can there's nothing fucking on there anyway that you could understand. Literally slide in and then you drop down. It's like a curtain almost you just drop it down. There you go. That's my pod. Kinda like on a navy ship. It's a lot like that, you know? Richard Brion 54:25 You know, um, there's a there's a Netflix original that will had Brian Schoenborn 54:31 Shout out to Netflix. Richard Brion 54:32 Yeah, shout out to Netflix. Right? But it had Emma Stone and, wow, Jonah Hill. And it was called… it was about that was the… Brian Schoenborn 54:42 …they were they had a mental problems

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin reports on the Karzai releasing a bunch of Afghanistan prisoners; The last segment wore Jack out; "Toy Story" gun confiscated at airport; Joe had to pay a fine to leave Costa Rica; More gay football player stuff.

With players including the Karzai government, the Taliban, Pakistan and India, we thread our way through US efforts to end 12 years of war in Afghanistan.

Today's meeting between Presidents Obama and Karzai was billed as crucial to mapping the end of America's longest war.   

9 AM - Our political analyst Gary Dietrich from Citizenvoice.org talks repub race and CA politics with us; Some dude tried to make love to a horse; Karzai wants aid for another decade.

A suicide bomber struck mourners in Kandahar today, further evidence that Afghanistan faces increased violence and further destabilization since the assassination of President Karzai's half-brother...

Forget the start of withdrawal from Afghanistan in July of next year. The US and NATO have now extended major combat until 2014, even though President Karzai wants forces reduced.  We look at the aftermath of the summit in Lisbon.  Also, the TSA responds to traveler outcry over scanners and pat-downs, and Pope Benedict surprises the Roman Catholic Church. 

The run on Kabul Bank in Afghanistan raises a disturbing question: what if government corruption is more dangerous than the Taliban? Also, US Marines raid a hijacked ship off Somalia, and Koran burning and the media.

President Obama is publicly upbeat, but his strategy in Afghanistan is not working as planned. Has President Karzai lost faith in the US and NATO?  Is Pakistan even closer to the Afghan Taliban than previously reported? Also, oil executives get grilled on Capitol Hill, and Wikipedia is losing its army of volunteer editors. Will easing restrictions make them want to stay on the job?

President Karzai's effort at reaching out to the Taliban may have failed before it began. We update this week's "peace jirga" with 1600 tribal leaders and politicians. Is it building support for Karzai's government? Will it make any difference for US soldiers? Also, BP cuts a leaking pipe, as the oil slick heads eastward, and wrecking a perfect game.

After a campaign of tough love that appeared to go nowhere, President Obama has turned on the charm for Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Has this visit produced a plan for what happens next? Also, a House committee in Washington probed the cause of the Gulf oil spill, a new containment box was lowered over the gusher 5000 feet down. And, a day after cobbling together an unlikely coalition, Britain's new Prime Minister pledges “a government that will last.” How long?

During last night's State of the Union Address, President Obama admitted mistakes while defending his first year in office. What does he want for the future, and what is he likely to get? We sample opinions. Also, President Karzai's new priority, reaching out to the Taliban, and Toyota's struggle to stay on top. 

Pakistan's army is finally taking on the Taliban in South Waziristan. Will the much-delayed offensive help the US and NATO against the Taliban in Afghanistan? Is Pakistan more interested in its historic conflict with India? Also, President Karzai is forced into a run-off election in Afghanistan, and the Obama Administration and medical marijuana.