America’s “longest war” has again entered the spotlight as the Biden Administration announced a complete withdrawal of U.S. military forces. Nicknamed ‘the graveyard of empires,’ Afghanistan has defeated many global powers – the British, the Soviets, and now the Americans. The U.S. leaves after having spent close to $800 billion and lost countless lives. The Taliban’s growing presence is worrisome, not least because of its grip on civilian life in the country.  Now, with the lack of military and security forces, who will fill the power vacuum? Altamar hosts Peter Schechter and Muni Jensen are joined by Edward Girardet, an expert on Afghanistan and editor of Crosslines Global Report and President of the International Centre for Humanitarian Reporting, to sort out what lies in store for the future of Afghanistan. Altamar’s ‘Téa’s Take’ by Téa Ivanovic discusses how the U.S. withdrawal will affect human rights, particularly the lives of Afghani women and girls.