Vox's Worldly

Zack and Alex are joined by Ben Pauker, Vox’s managing editor for news and a longtime foreign correspondent, to talk about the war in Afghanistan — and why the US can’t seem to win it. They discuss the reasons that Afghanistan is fertile ground for an insurgency, why the Taliban has become a particularly effective bunch of militants, and why the US’ ultimate goal — building up an Afghan government and military that can sure the country in its absence — is so hard to achieve. Come for the policy pessimism, stay for Zack’s oblique reference to a dril tweet. Read this interview Alex did with warfare expert Dominic Tierney on why the US has trouble winning wars. The New York Times has a good history (with pictures!) of why many have tried and failed to win in Afghanistan. Here’s how the US “won” in Iraq Alex wrote about how the Taliban has very slightly moderated its stances towards women and minorities in recent years. Yes, a Taliban fighter really did say “You have the watches. We have the time.” Here’s what yo