Page 49 – Toward Freedom

Midwifery students in Afghanistan / credit: United Nations

A Viable—and Perhaps the Only—Path to Lasting Peace in Afghanistan

Vijay Prashad August 16, 2021 Vijay Prashad

Editor's Note: The Taliban victory over the weekend and the evacuation of U.S. nationals cries out for context. That is why Toward Freedom is publishing this article that was submitted prior to the weekend's events. "Women are more mobilized, but they are not a powerful social movement. Afghanistan’s more liberal and left social forces are active underground and are not an organized force. These forces include the educated sections, who do not want extremist groups to drag the country into another proxy war. That proxy war would be between the Taliban, the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, and other militant groups that are no less dangerous than the Taliban or the U.S. government."

Cover of "The Radical Book Store: Counterspace for Social Movements"

Book Review: ‘The Radical Bookstore: Counterspace for Social Movements’

Matt Dineen August 13, 2021 Matt Dineen

In her new book, "The Radical Bookstore," University of Michigan professor Kimberley Kinder studies spaces and the role they continue to play in movements for social justice and transformation. She highlights the importance of brick-and-mortar “counterspaces” that help sustain organizing and movement building in between bursts of protest activity in the streets.

On May 11, 5,000 to 6,000 people marched in New York City defense of all Palestinians resisting Zionist violence / credit: Twitter/WithinOurLifetime-UnitedforPalestine

Jordan’s Shrinking Role in Palestine’s Liberation Effort

Dr. Mohammad Salami August 12, 2021 Dr. Mohammad Salami

The landlocked country is playing an increasingly insignificant role in the dispute, even though the peace process would be incomplete without the kingdom’s input. In fact, until the 1970s, Jordan was an indispensable player, having hosted thousands of Palestinian refugees. Jordan seems to be trapped by its own security restrictions and has largely ceded the peace process to its rivals, including Egypt.

The U.S. flag is lowered as U.S. soldiers leave Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, May 2, 2021 / credit: Afghan Ministry of Defense Press Office

Biden Must Call Off the B-52s Bombing Afghan Cities

Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies August 11, 2021 Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies

The lesson of the United States' experience in Afghanistan should be a new “Afghanistan syndrome,” a public aversion to war that prevents future U.S. military attacks and invasions, rejects attempts to socially engineer the governments of other nations, and leads to a new and active U.S. commitment to peace, diplomacy, and disarmament.

Nukes on the Screen: Seven Decades of Atomic Danger

Greg Guma August 9, 2021 Greg Guma

Numerous films, some of them based on novels, feature nuclear war, its potential impacts and the extreme threat these weapons pose.

Open Balkans Initiative: Continuity of Western Neocolonialism?

Nikola Mikovic August 6, 2021 Nikola Mikovic

The Balkans appear to remain stuck in the waiting room to join the EU, while foreign powers fight for influence and redistribution of Balkan nations’ wealth.