Talking to the Taliban
On the podcast: American journalist Ashley Jackson wanted to learn more about Taliban leaders. So she donned a burqa and knocked on their doors.
Ashley Jackson had sensed the Taliban was changing. She’d been an aid worker in Afghanistan for years helping civilians overcome horrific violence—often perpetrated by the group. But from Afghan friends and others, she was hearing another story. In parts of the country, the Taliban had taken on the mundane tasks of governance. To see it for herself, Jackson spent much of the past year crisscrossing the country in a Toyota Corolla, talking to local Taliban leaders. On our podcast, she describes what she found out—and what it’s like to be a Western woman on the road in Afghanistan.
Jackson is a fellow at the Overseas Development Institute and the author of a piece on Afghanistan in the Fall issue of Foreign Policy magazine, “The Taliban Fights for Hearts and Minds.”
Ashley Jackson had sensed the Taliban was changing. She’d been an aid worker in Afghanistan for years helping civilians overcome horrific violence—often perpetrated by the group. But from Afghan friends and others, she was hearing another story. In parts of the country, the Taliban had taken on the mundane tasks of governance. To see it for herself, Jackson spent much of the past year crisscrossing the country in a Toyota Corolla, talking to local Taliban leaders. On our podcast, she describes what she found out—and what it’s like to be a Western woman on the road in Afghanistan.
Jackson is a fellow at the Overseas Development Institute and the author of a piece on Afghanistan in the Fall issue of Foreign Policy magazine, “The Taliban Fights for Hearts and Minds.”
Read More
Afghanistan Is Trying to Save Its Child Bombers
In a Kabul clinic, staff struggle to help teenagers drafted by the Taliban.
One Year On, Little to Show for Trump’s Afghanistan Strategy
The Pentagon says the United States is winning the war, but after 17 years, there’s still no end in sight.
U.S. Has ‘Turned the Corner’ in Afghanistan, Top General Says
The Trump administration brings a new strategy but same old promises to the 16-year war.
More from Foreign Policy
-
An illustration shows a golden Cybertruck blasting through a U.S. seal of an eagle holding arrows and laurel. Is America a Kleptocracy?
Here’s how life could change for the rich, poor, and everyone in between.
-
The flag of the United States in New York City on Sept. 18, 2019. America Is Listing in a Gathering Storm
Alarms are clanging at the U.S. geographic military commands around the globe.
-
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts during Trump’s inauguration in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Judicial Crisis Is Uniquely Dangerous
But other democracies provide a roadmap for courts to prevail over attacks from the executive branch.
-
An illustration shows a golden Newtons cradle with Elon Musk depicted on the one at left and sending a globe-motif ball swinging at right. Elon Musk’s First Principles
The world’s richest man wants to apply the rules of physics to politics. What could go wrong?
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day, written by Alexandra Sharp. Delivered weekdays.