Afghanistan

"Beyond War" by David Rohde

Joe Donahue — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:10:00 +0000

In Beyond War: Reimagining American Influence in a New Middle East, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Rohde distills eleven years of expert reporting into a call for change.

An incisive look at the evolving nature of war, Rohde exposes how a dysfunctional Washington squandered billions on contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, neglected its true allies in the war on terror and failed to employ its most potent nonmilitary weapons.

"Little America: The War Within the War for Afghanistan" by Rajiv Chandrasekaran

Joe Donahue — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:35:00 +0000

The author of the acclaimed bestseller and National Book Award finalist, Imperial Life in the Emerald City, tells the startling, behind-the-scenes story of the US’s political and military misadventure in Afghanistan in his new book, Little America: The War Within the War for Afghanistan.

In this meticulously reported and illuminating book, Rajiv Chandrasekaran focuses on southern Afghanistan in the year of President Obama’s surge, and reveals the epic tug of war that occurred between the president and a military that increasingly went its own way.

Peace Activist Traveled To Pakistan To Protest Drone Strikes

Paul Tuthill — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 18:00:00 +0000

An American drone strike Thursday in Pakistan reportedly killed a militant commander who had directed attacks on U.S. forces in neighboring Afghanistan. The U.S. military for several years has waged a campaign of drone attacks in Pakistan. Recently, a peace activist from Northampton Massachusetts, Paki Wieland traveled to Pakistan, and the region of Waziristan, where most of the drone strikes occur, to protest American policy. She spoke with WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill.

"No Way Out: A Story of Valor in the Mountains of Afghanistan"

Joe Donahue — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:12:00 +0000

In a remote, enemy-held valley in Afghanistan, a Special Forces team planned to scale a steep mountain to surprise and capture a terrorist leader. But before they found the target, the target found them…

3 Soldiers From Upstate NY Killed in Afghanistan

Pat Bradley — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 22:40:00 +0000

Military officials say three U.S. Army Reserve soldiers from upstate New York have been killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

The Department of Defense has identified the soldiers as 29-year-old Staff Sgt. Dain Venne of Port Henry, 22-year-old Spc. Ryan Jayne of Campbell and 27-year-old Spc. Brett Gornewicz of Alden.

The Pentagon says they died of wounds suffered Saturday when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device in Paktia province.

Rabbi Michael Rothbaum: A Picture's Worth a Thousand Lives

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:28:43 +0000

When the most recent Iraq war began, I was serving as student rabbi at a wonderful little synagogue in New England. One of the regulars at our monthly Torah study was a World War II veteran – let’s call him Sam. Sam would always bring consideration and deep insight to text study. But more than that, Sam was – and is – a mensh.