WATCH: “Afghanistan in Crisis” featuring suggested reading, ways to help

Thank you for engaging with Vanderbilt University to discuss the crises in Afghanistan. This event originally broadcast in August 2021.

WAYS TO HELP

Here are a few ways you can support and aid incoming Afghan families and refugees, as well as veterans and their families:

• Donate or volunteer with Nashville International Center for Empowerment to help Afghan families that have come to Middle Tennessee.
• Donate or volunteer with No One Left Behind and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service to continue their work with special immigrant visas, providing support as Afghan refugees enter the country.
• Donate to the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) will bolster its National Military Survivor Helpline.
• Donate to help Afghan children and families facing hunger through the International Rescue Committee, currently raising $10 million in life saving aid in Afghanistan.
• To provide support for Afghan women and girls, donate to Vital Voices or Women to Women International.
• Support the International Committee of the Red Cross, ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of war and violence.
• Support Doctors Without Borders as they continue to provide critical medical care across five provinces in Afghanistan.
  • DOCTORS: provide medical relief at a free clinic servicing the influx of people coming in from Afghanistan daily.
• Contact your representatives in U.S. Congress to let them know you care about this issue.
• LAWYERS: Provide pro bono advice through Human Rights First. 

“Have a conversation with friends and family about the past 20 years in Afghanistan and what has been done in our name as U.S. citizens. Talking about the issues facing our nation is important for the functionality of our democracy.” — Samar Ali

“And finally, reach out to veterans in your family – your cousins, daughters, fathers and friends – and community to thank them for their service, to let them know that their service in Afghanistan is important and that you value them.” — Mike Newton

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SUGGESTED READING FROM THE PANEL: 

Lt. Gen. Scott A. Howell:

• Games Without Rules—The Often Interrupted History of Afghanistan by Tamim Ansary

Tom Schwartz:

• The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War by Craig Whitlock and The Washington Post, available Aug. 31. Read a review.
• Directorate S: The CIA and America’s Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Steve Coll
• The American War in Afghanistan by Carter Malkasian

Samar Ali: 

• Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography by Thomas A. Schwartz
• Related News: Vanderbilt historian says Kissinger’s legacy offers relevant lessons for today | News | Vanderbilt University
• Afghanistan: A Culture & Political History by Thomas Barfield
• The Fighters by C.J. Chivers

Mike Newton:

• Site: Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
• Lessons Encountered: Learning from the Long War by Richard D. Hooker, Jr., and Joseph J. Collins, available for free download (PDF)
• Appendix B: Afghanistan Timeline of Events

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RELATED NEWS FROM VANDERBILT FACULTY: 

• The Hill (Aug. 26); “Reports of the Taliban’s Coming Demise are Greatly Exaggerated,” by David J. Wasserstein, professor of history and jewish studies
• Politifact/The Poynter Institute (Aug. 19): “Charlie Kirk baselessly claims Biden intentionally let Afghanistan fall to alter U.S. population (fact-check)” featuring Karla McKanders, clinical professor of law and expert on immigration, race and the administrative state
• The New York Times (Aug. 17): “Afghanistan, Vietnam and the Limits of American Power” featuring Jefferson Cowie, James G. Stahlman professor of history
• The Conversation (Aug. 13): “In Afghanistan, the U.S. gets to choose how it stops fighting” by Tom Schwartz, professor of history

With an introduction from Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, the virtual panel broadcast live on Aug. 26, 2021, featuring:

• Samar Ali, Vanderbilt research professor of political science and law, Muslim-American expert in international conflict resolution and co-chair of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy. TWITTER
• Lieutenant General Scott A. Howell, USAF, Ret., the 15th Commander of Joint Special Operations Command and vice commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command
• Michael Newton, Vanderbilt professor of the practice of law and the practice of political science, expert on terrorism, accountability, transnational justice and conduct of hostilities issues; and
• Tom Schwartz, Distinguished Professor of History, professor of political science and European studies, historian who looks at foreign policy in context of impact on U.S. government, American politics

Feedback on the panel? Contact us.