AFGHANISTAN - Pose Taliban Takeover Economy

"Dwindling aid, crumbling economy and ISIS add to Afghans’ hardships under Taliban rule" PBS NewsHour 11/5/2021

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SUMMARY:  It's been nearly three months since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, and the country is in economic and humanitarian free fall.  Special correspondent Jane Ferguson was in Kabul during the U.S. withdrawal in August, and has returned to report on the dire situation that has developed since.  She joins Judy Woodruff with more.  This report was made with support from the Pulitzer Center.

TALIBAN - The Clueless Do Not Know How to Govern Afghanistan

"Taliban face growing problems running Afghanistan as talks begin with the U.S." PBS NewsHour 10/10/2021

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SUMMARY:  U.S. and Taliban representatives met in Doha, Qatar, this weekend for the first direct talks since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.  The talks will reportedly focus on terrorism, evacuations and a growing humanitarian crisis as winter approaches.  Wall Street Journal reporter Saeed Shah joins from Kabul.

AFGHANISTAN - The Longest War

"Will short-term deal between U.S., Taliban pave the way for Afghan peace?" PBS NewsHour 2/14/2020

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SUMMARY:  The U.S. has reached a short-term agreement with the Taliban that could pave the way for ending the war in Afghanistan that has endured for nearly 20 years.  Under the plan, U.S. forces and the Taliban agree to a temporary cessation of violence and a phased approach to the withdrawal of American troops.  But is the Afghan government on board?  Nick Schifrin joins Judy Woodruff from Munich to discuss.

AFGHANISTAN - Without a Path to Peace

"Without a path to peace, Afghan forces constantly fighting to root out Taliban" PBS NewsHour 9/25/2019

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SUMMARY:  In Afghanistan, commando military units are kept busy chasing out the Taliban, then moving on to the next, inevitable advance elsewhere.  But after special forces retake an area, ill-equipped regular forces that replace them struggle to hold on -- the same problem American forces faced there for years.  Can Afghans find any peace?  Special correspondent Jane Ferguson reports.

AMERICA'S LONGEST WAR - Afghanistan After 20yrs

"The brutal push for peace in Afghanistan after almost 20 years of war" PBS NewsHour 3/13/2019

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SUMMARY:  The highest level of talks yet between the U.S. and the Taliban concluded Tuesday in Qatar.  With videographer Sebastian Rich's exclusive footage of American and Afghan operations in southern Afghanistan; Nick Schifrin reports on how both sides are trying to use battlefield gains to force peacemaking concessions, and gets insight from Nader Nadery a Senior Adviser to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

AFGHANISTAN - Taliban Peace Talks

"U.S. and Taliban peace talks make progress toward ending war in Afghanistan" PBS NewsHour 1/28/2019

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SUMMARY:  The draft framework of an Afghan peace deal: If the Taliban agree to a cease-fire, working directly with the Afghan government and preventing terror groups from using Afghanistan as a base for planning attacks, U.S. forces will withdraw.  John Yang talks to the International Crisis Group’s Laurel Miller and the Center on International Cooperation’s Barnett Rubin about this "complicated" process.

AFGHANISTAN - The Rush For Peace

Why?  Simple, 17+ years of a costly war.  Cost in dollars and lives.

"Despite intensifying violence in Afghanistan, U.S. is ‘in a hurry’ for peace" PBS NewsHour 11/28/2018

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SUMMARY:  Over the past few months, violence has intensified in Afghanistan, but so have efforts to reach a negotiated peace agreement with the Taliban.  Nick Schifrin asks Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, whether he faces an imminent deadline, if the country’s presidential election will be delayed, and how to convince Pakistan to help the push for peace.

AFGHANISTAN - Confidence in Government

"Afghan confidence in government undermined by fresh attacks" PBS NewsHour 8/15/2018

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SUMMARY:  Shia teenagers were killed by a suicide bomber at an education center in Kabul on Wednesday.  Meanwhile, residents of the city of Ghazni began to pick up the pieces after a five-day siege between the Taliban and the Afghan Army.  Nick Schifrin discusses the attacks and Taliban tactics with Sultan Faizy, Kabul bureau chief for IHA Network, and former Defense Department official David Sedney.

WOMEN'S MOVEMENT - Meaning for Afghanistan

"What more women in government would mean for Afghanistan" PBS NewsHour 3/5/2018

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SUMMARY:  War is a reality of life in Afghanistan, but it's not all-consuming, say a delegation of Afghan women leaders who recently visited Washington.  The country is also undergoing significant social and cultural shifts around gender and leadership.  Judy Woodruff talks with Shaharzad Akbar, a senior advisor to President Ghani, and Muqaddesa Yourish of Afghanistan's Civil Service Commission.