Afghanistan Through Western Eyes
Current Affairs23 Syys 2022

Afghanistan Through Western Eyes

Current Affairs editor at large Yasmin Nair and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson have both written articles that deal with the country of Afghanistan. Yasmin's Evergreen Review piece, "Sharbat Gula Is Not Lost" is about the woman pictured in the iconic "Afghan Girl" photo that appeared on the cover of National Geographic. Nathan's essay "What Do We Owe Afghanistan?" (co-authored with Noam Chomsky) appears in Current Affairs and is a history of the American war from 2001 to 2021, looking at the hideous consequences of U.S. actions for the Afghan people.

In this conversation, we talk about how stories and photos shape Western perceptions of Afghanistan and how Americans came to believe that they were part of a noble endeavor to help Afghan people even as their actions actually severely damaged the country. The "Afghan Girl" of National Geographic is Sharbat Gula, who didn't want her photo taken and tried to cover her face. We discuss the photographer, Steve McCurry, whose work exoticizes (and sometimes even fabricates) the lives of non-Western people. We discuss how the aspirations and wishes of Afghans themselves are left out of Western depictions of the country.

Laura Bush's speech using Afghan women's rights as a justification for the war is here. A critique of the way Afghan women were cynically invoked to justify U.S. geopolitical goals is here. A scathing New York Times review of McCurry's "astonishingly boring" pictures is here. The photo of Gula covering her face is here. The photo of the adult Gula holding the magazine is here.

Photographer Steve McCurry with the portrait that changed his life (although not the life of the anonymous child depicted, who did not wish to be photographed).

Jaksot(600)

Ed Wood and the Politics of Bad Taste (w/ Will Sloan)

Ed Wood and the Politics of Bad Taste (w/ Will Sloan)

Will Sloan is a film critic and writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, Jacobin, and the Toronto Star. He is the co-host, with Luke Savage, of the podcast Michael and Us, which examines poli...

21 Tammi 43min

The Coup In Venezuela Is An Assault on the Whole World

The Coup In Venezuela Is An Assault on the Whole World

Donald Trump's overthrow of Nicolás Maduro sets a terrible precedent that severely erodes international sovereignty. Can other countries depose any leader they accuse of a crime?🇻🇪 Read the article:...

6 Tammi 18min

How Zohran Mamdani Defeated the Democratic Establishment

How Zohran Mamdani Defeated the Democratic Establishment

In the fall of 2024, Zohran Mamdani was a long-shot challenger taking on New York City’s political establishment. Today, he’s the mayor. In this early interview with Current Affairs, recorded shortly ...

2 Tammi 31min

Michael Pollan Is Lying to You About "Ethical" Meat

Michael Pollan Is Lying to You About "Ethical" Meat

John Sanbonmatsu is a professor of philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the author of The Omnivore’s Deception: What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals, and Ourselves.The book is a response...

1 Tammi 40min

What the Government Shutdown Actually Revealed for Democrats (w/ Ettingermentum)

What the Government Shutdown Actually Revealed for Democrats (w/ Ettingermentum)

Joshua Cohen is a political theorist and writer of the Ettingermentum Substack: an exceedingly thorough and insightful resource for anyone hoping to understand what the hell is going on in American po...

27 Joulu 202550min

Gaza, Ukraine, and Why Trump’s "Anti-War" Rhetoric Is a Lie (w/ Medea Benjamin)

Gaza, Ukraine, and Why Trump’s "Anti-War" Rhetoric Is a Lie (w/ Medea Benjamin)

Medea Benjamin is an anti-war activist and one of the co-founders of CODEPINK: Women for Peace. She’s spent decades fighting the American military-industrial complex, organizing protests against the i...

19 Joulu 202547min

Candace Owens and the Decay of the American Brain

Candace Owens and the Decay of the American Brain

How can someone so delusional attract an audience of millions? What does it say about us that Owens is listened to by anyone other than a psychiatrist?🧿 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.o...

16 Joulu 202528min

MAGA Megadonors Are Recruiting Mayors to Criminalize Pro-Palestine Speech

MAGA Megadonors Are Recruiting Mayors to Criminalize Pro-Palestine Speech

Right-wing megadonors flew mayors to an all-expenses-paid summit in New Orleans, where they pushed a policy framework that codified mainstream criticism of Israel as “antisemitic.”📰 Read the article:...

11 Joulu 202531min

Suosittua kategoriassa Komedia

nikotellen
anni-jaajo
tuplakaak
antin-matka
olipa-kerran-otsikko
ihan-oikeesti
rss-saarinen-shoy
antin-palautepalvelu
rss-nikotellen
antin-elokuvakerho
puurojengi
everypodi
rss-kaheli
ela-viitti
kasper-ja-mikko-suomen-suosituin-podcast
naakkavalta
rss-kuukka-vehvilainen-hartlin
rss-ruokacast
mysteeripodcast
rss-sami-jorma