Children in Nuristan, Afghanistan in early 2021 / credit: Sohaib Ghyasi on Unsplash

On Propaganda and Failed Narratives: New Understanding of Afghanistan Is a Must

Now that the United States and its NATO allies are leaving Afghanistan, unable to justify or even explain why their supposed humanitarian mission led to such an embarrassing defeat, the Afghan people are left with the challenge of weaving their own national narrative, one that must transcend the Taliban and their enemies to include all Afghans, regardless of their politics or ideology. 

Mangrove forest in the Nusa Lembongan island in Indonesia / credit: Joel Vodell on Unsplash

Corporations & Governments Team Up to Save Tropical Forests, Leaving Out Indigenous Voices

More than 10.3 million acres of primary tropical forests—spanning about the size of Belgium—went up in flames in 2020. A new coalition claims it will mobilize $1 billion to thwart global climate change’s increasingly devastating forest fires. But scientists and other experts have raised doubts about this new program corporations and governments have kicked off.