Last week I spoke on a panel at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre on “Art, War and Another Afghanistan” alongside photographer Barat Ali Batoor, human rights lawyer and activist Diana Sayed, Afghan football player and recently arrived from Kabul, Fatima Yousufi (who was featured in a recent New York Times story), and Hazara musician Taqi Khan. Afghanistan…
Showing all posts tagged Afghanistan
How much do we owe Afghan refugees?
My new piece for Declassified Australia on the disparity between Afghan and Ukrainian refugees and how Australia (and the US) view the neediest people on the planet: Around 6,000 humanitarian visas have been granted to Afghan refugees in the 12 months since the end of the US occupation in August 2021. This is from a total of…
Twenty Years plus since Taliban takeover of Afghanistan
The Twenty Years project is a collaboration between Afghan artists, journalists and a number of Australians, including me, about the legacy of the US-led war in Afghanistan. There was recently a major exhibition at Blacktown Arts gallery in Sydney, Australia featuring Afghan artists Khadim Ali, Elyas Alavi, Orna Kazimi, Najiba Noori, Melbourne-based artist Tia Kass…
In conversation with whistle-blower David McBride
David McBride is a courageous whistleblower who exposed Australian war crimes in Afghanistan. For his sins, he’s now facing trial and potentially life in prison (while not one soldier who committed the war crimes has faced court). We’ve become friends over the last years and I deeply admire his principles. David interviewed me recently about my…
“August in Kabul” is compelling book on Afghanistan
My book review in the Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age: AFGHANISTAN August in Kabul Andrew Quilty MUP, $34.99 Matthieu Aikins is a journalist who has spent extended periods in Afghanistan, including stints with The New York Times. Early this year, he told The Columbia Journalism Review that his whole profession had often failed when…
TRT World interview on “worthy” and “unworthy” victims in war
During the Ukraine/Russia conflict, much of the Western media has been highly supportive of the Ukrainian people (though historically far less interested in the plight of Palestinians, Afghans, Syrians etc). I speak about this bias on global broadcaster TRT World:
Bad News interview on Afghanistan, independent journalism and unembedded voices
Bad News is a great new podcast that interviews journalists, academics and activists who question the current political realities. I’m interviewed about Afghanistan, independent journalism and Declassified Australia.
RT interview on stealing Afghan resources
Following my recent Declassified Australia investigation into Afghan resources, I was interviewed on RT’s Going Underground.
The never-ending gold rush in Afghanistan
My latest investigation is a joint piece for Declassified Australia and Declassified UK on the rush to exploit Afghan resources (mostly since 9/11): The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August last year has caused the country to implode. It was already on life support after more than 40 years of war but the swift removal…