Meeting a Place You've Probably Never Been: Non-State Actress #1
The Taliban do not deserve the privilege of dictating what Afghanistan is, so don’t let them.
Print: SH71 by Shamsia Hassani, Afghan Graffiti Artist. Available online for $135.00 plus tax and shipping. https://www.shamsiahassani.net/buy-print
BLUF
Afghanistan has a long, rich, multi-cultural history and Afghans are defined by MUCH more than the Taliban (a violent terrorist organization fairly equivalent to the Ku Klux Klan, Proud Boys, and Oath Keepers in the US) who seized control of the Afghan government. Before we dive into the US withdrawal of support from Afghanistan, the subsequent chain of events related to the evacuation and resettlement of Afghans at risk, why and how US Congress failed to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, and what it all means, I’d like to introduce you to Afghanistan: The Country1.
A special thanks to my Operation Eagle family who contributed this post.
Press Play
This issue of Non-State Actress is best enjoyed while listening to “Red Bull Gives You Wings” – a Spotify Playlist featuring the favorite songs of Afghan Air Force Black Hawk Pilots, Their Families, and Their American Friends
Afghans, They’re Just Like* Americans!
Something I continue to be confused by is how often my American friends are surprised by my Afghan friends…even if those American friends have spent time in AFG. With this in mind, I wanted to provide a brief, elementary, surface level, introduction to the country and some easy ways to learn more. But first:
Things Afghan Millennial Women Want You to Know:
- “We use the same makeup products that you use, probably the same way...or better. That was true before to August 2021, too. We love HUDA Beauty and Urban Decay 🙏🏽.”
- “Zara, H & M, Michael Kors, Gucci… We have internet in Afghanistan, and we know how to dress 💅🏽.”
-”Gym, Tan, Laundry is the credo of a ‘certain type of gentleman,’ no matter where they are from 🙃.”
-”Millennials love Spice Girls, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga. Most of us still think Ariana Grande is a ‘new artist,’ and gen-z pities us. We aren’t old!!! ”
-”Almost everyone is watching The White Lotus and Love Island and we are *all* stressed by Love is Blind.”
-”Children love Frozen, and they will sing it non-stop even when you did not ask for a performance. And it’s annoying to us, too.”
-””Men” and boys will drink enough Red Bull and Monster to destroy their physical health regardless of where they are from. They all (Afghans and Americans) keep drinking no matter how much gout it gives them. 🥵🥵🥵🥵”
There’s also a lot of professional overlap between my Afghan and American friends. Women are lawyers, dentists, soldiers, teachers, child psychologists, accountants, political scientists, diplomats, librarians, business owners, civil society leaders, and professors. Similarly, man of the men are pilots, police officers, bankers, Instagram influencers, and soldiers.
Onto the country of Afghanistan…
Fast Facts
Where is Afghanistan?
Let us pause for a moment in genuine honor of Millennial Icon Catilin Upton, Miss Teen South Carolina’s historic Map Moment:
(We’ll come back to her redemption arc shortly.)
OK so, Afghanistan is the intersection of Central and South Asia. A quick look at a map helps explain how there are so many commonly spoken languages among so many different cultural and ethnic groups:
Bordering Nations: Pakistan to the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast and China to the northeast and east.
Afghanistan is 252,071 square miles in area and home to approximately 38 million people. For reference, the State of Texas is 268,597 sqmiles with a population of about 29 million. The country 34 provinces (like states) and 421 districts (sort of like counties). Afghanistan is completely landlocked, and is the 8th most mountainous country in the world. The Instagram of that girl from high school who moved to LA and now “hikes a lot” has *nothing* on this.
Money, Money, Money
Afghanistan may be known to some for its poppy fields, but the economy doesn’t *actually* run on opium (eye roll).
Actually, up until August 2021 international aid from foreign governments and charities was the biggest force in the Afghan economy for a while. A lot of Americans get annoyed when they hear this, but is it really that different than foreign aid in Europe after World War II?
Making things from scratch is really hard. It’s even harder when it’s a whole ass democracy! And, as Freedom House’s score reminds us, you can knock it all down pretty fast…
The top exports in 2021? Gold ($542M), Grapes ($181M), Other Nuts ($141M), Tropical Fruits ($135M), and Raw Cotton ($114M). In 2020, Afghanistan was the world’s biggest importer of wheat flour – which isn’t a surprise given the climate and those mountains we talked about. Pretty hard to grow wheat there.
Afghanistan’s closest trade partners in 2021 were\United Arab Emirates ($572M), India ($499M), Pakistan ($492M), China ($54.3M), and Saudi Arabia ($27.4M). Again, makes sense given the maps!
Vibe Check
Like most places in the world, different people experience life in Afghanistan differently. Still, there are some helpful tools to get a general understanding of what it’s like to be an Afghan living in Afghanistan.
One of those tools is the Freedom House Global Freedom Score, an annual calculation of political rights and civil liberties in 210 countries. I’m a fan of Freedom House. It was founded in 1941 to get the US to enter World War II and generally to fight fascism. The research is super helpful, does not require multiple degrees to understand, and objective. Freedom House’s programs are all focused on democracy and human rights – and are structured in a way that ensure anyone who needs help can get it.
Learn more about Freedom House.
So, on a scale of North Korea to Utopia, where does Afghanistan fall?
Freedom House’s 2022 report rates Afghanistan as Not Free with a total score of 10 (1/40, political rights; 9/60 civil liberties). That is a HUGE drop from 2021 when it scored a 27/100, making it the second highest score in the region2. That huge drop is thanks to the Taliban.
For reference, the United States is rated as Free with a total score of 83/100, 32/40 political rights; 51/60 civil liberties. Norway, Sweden, Finland all have a perfect score of 100, whereas Syria, Tibet, and South Sudan all share a total score of 1.
Must Know: The Taliban Are Not All That’s Left
Much like Caitlin Upton, Afghanistan is a perfect example of a bad moment snowballing into a whole identity. But also like the millennial queen who is now a home owner (!) business owner, and seemingly successful adult, Afghanistan’s story is far from over.
These days, we are bearing witness to the Taliban executing, harassing, torturing, and oppressing the Afghan people.
And every day Afghans are fighting back.
The protest sign held by 18 year old Adela on December 25 in front of Kabul University. The poster says ‘Iqra’ or "read," thought to be the first word of revelation to the Muslim Prophet Mohammad.
Women Lead the Way
Women and girls, a population at particular risk for violence and thanks to dysfunctional policies least eligible for evacuation, are (unsurprisingly) leading the way fight3.
-Protests against their forced removal and exclusion from education and professional society
-Underground gyms and fight clubs (SO much tae kwon do)
The latest Taliban decree forbids women from working at non-governmental organizations (remember how much of the economy is based on aid??). Now international organizations are pulling out of the country, and there are early reports of disagreement even within the TB’s “leadership.” This is absolutely an area to watch…
The NRF
Every day Afghans are still taking up arms against the Talib or TB as the terrorists are often referred to. Panjshir is home to the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan or NRF. It’s based largely out of the Panjshir Valley because of its historic significance and all those damn mountains:
The NRF is publicly run effectively entirely by men, which is irritating given how many women have taken up arms in support of democracy. Its leader is 28 year old , US-educated Ahmad Massoud, son of Ahmad Shah Massoud. The Elder Massoud was leader of the Afghan Tajik resistance against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s before serving as Minister of Defense in the 1990s until the TB take over, at which point he returned to commanding the resistance. ‘The Lion of Panjshir’ was assassinated at the order of Osama bin Laden on September 9, 2001.
The NRF’s website and social media keeps a running list of TB atrocities and human rights violations, NRF military operations, and press releases and interviews with its leadership. Definitely worth following.
Wrap Up
Key Takeaway: Afghans and Afghanistan are not defined by the Taliban, just like Americans and America isn’t solely the Ku Klux Klan, Proud Boys, and Oath Keepers.
This post doesn’t offer much analysis, but it never promised to. Many of us, whether we are 30 or 60, came of age in a time in which Afghanistan was known in the general American consciousness as a militantly religious by force, dangerous, oppressive place. This is sadly likely to continue unless there is a change in policy (more on this next week)4.
The Taliban do not deserve the privilege of dictating what Afghanistan is, so don’t let them.
Gimme More: A Few Resources for More Info
Afghanistan Top 40 Pop Songs by Month
Shamsia Hassani, Afghan Graffiti Artist
I Am the Beggar of the World: Landays from Contemporary Afghanistan, translated by Eliza Griswold, journalist with photography by Seamus Murphy
Nabi Roshan, Afghan political satirist now in exile
Hard Damage - Aria Amber, Afghan-American poet
Afghan Crucible: The Soviet Invasion and the Making of Modern Afghanistan by Dr. Elisabeth Leake, scholar
Destiny Disrupted by Tamim Ansary, Afghan-American author
Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 11, 2011 by Steve Coll, husband of Eliza Griswold and journalist
Afghanistan: A Cultural & Political History by Dr. Thomas Barfield, scholar
Game Without Rules: The Often Interrupted History of Afghanistan by Tamim Ansary, Afghan-American author
Three Songs for Benazir (Short Documentary)
Angles Are Made of Light (Documentary)
The Breadwinner (Movie)
The Black Tulip (2010 Movie)
Charlie Wilson’s War (Movie)
Welcome.US - Coalition to Welcome new neighbors to America including those from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Venezuela, and elsewhere
Preview of the Next Issue:
BLUF: The US withdrawal from Afghanistan did not occur in a vacuum, and as we see every day, the lack of US presence in the country does not mean the country – and its geopolitical significance - ceases to exist. And the resulting chaos for pro-freedom Afghans who welcomed US support for their cause sends an operational message to American partners and would-be partners.
What does the asterisk mean/refer to?
Afghans, They’re Just Like* Americans!