Air Date 8/25/2021 Today we take a look at the history of the war in Afghanistan. First of all, do you think that it's been going on for 20 years? Think again, it's been a lot longer than that. From British Empire Building to Cold War gamesmanship, Afghanistan has been a center of conflict since long before American citizens bothered to take notice. Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com  Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content) BestOfTheLeft.com/Refer Sign up, share widely, get rewards. It's that easy! OUR AFFILIATE LINKS: BestOfTheLeft.com/Descript CHECK OUT OUR FANCY PRODUCTION SOFTWARE! BestOfTheLeft.com/Advertise Sponsor the show! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Afghans Try to Flee U.S.-Caused Crisis - The Intercept - Air Date 8-18-21 The Taliban have taken over Afghanistan, forcing the U.S.-backed Afghan government out. The Intercept Vanessa Gezari, who also reported from Afghanistan for years after the U.S. war began, breaks down the historical trajectory that led to this moment. Ch. 2: Matthew Hoh on Afghanistan Withdrawal - CounterSpin - Air Date 8-20-21 We’ll prepare ourselves with insights on Afghanistan from Phyllis Bennis, director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, and from Matthew Hoh, senior fellow with the Center for International Policy. Ch. 3: The Afghan Pentagon Papers & An Illicit History Of The War - The Michael Brooks Show - Air Date 12-14-19 Michael Brooks breaks down the history of the modern military establishment. Ch. 4: War presidents - Rachel Maddow Show Ch. 5: The Afghanistan Papers Docs Show How Bush, Obama, Trump Lied About Brutality & Corruption of War - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-19-21 We speak with Washington Post investigative reporter Craig Whitlock, author of the new book “The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War,” which reveals how multiple U.S. presidents deceived the public about progress in the war. Ch. 6: The Pentagon Papers Of Our Time with Craig Whitlock - On the Media - Air Date 12-20-19 Bob Garfield talks with Craig Whitlock about the Afghanistan Papers and the comparison to the Pentagon Papers. Ch. 7: Spencer Ackerman Todays Crisis in Kabul Is Direct Result of Decades of U.S. War & Destabilization - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-20-21 As thousands of Afghans try to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control, we look at the roots of the longest U.S. war in history and spend the hour with Pulitzer Prize-winning national security reporter Spencer Ackerman. MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S) Ch. 8: 30,000 speech - The Daily Show President Obama channels George W. Bush in his speech announcing the deployment of an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. Ch. 9: The Afghanistan Papers with Steven Miles - News Beat with Rashed Mian and Christopher Twarowski - Air Date 12-23-19 We speak with Washington Post investigative reporter Craig Whitlock, author of the new book “The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War,” which reveals how multiple U.S. presidents deceived the public about progress in the war. VOICEMAILS Ch. 10: No bipartisanship for now - Rich from Oregon FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 11: Final comments on questioning a theory of change before supporting an idea MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions): Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr  Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent Activism Music: This Fickle World by Theo Bard (https://theobard.bandcamp.com/track/this-fickle-world) Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com