This week, A’ndre and Ryan speak with Ambassador Ronald Neumann, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Algeria, and Bahrain about the recently announced U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, scheduled to take place by September 11th, 2021. Ambassador Neumann provides a contextual background on Afghanistan pre-2001, focusing on the repercussions of the Soviet Invasion in the 1980s, the U.S. aid to the Mujahideen, and the linkages between the Mujahideen and Al Qaeda. We then dig into the Taliban — providing a brief overview of their governing style, their power in the country,  their actual beliefs, and their relationship to Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda during, before, and after the 9/11 attacks. The second half of the interview sees Ambassador Neumann criticizing the Biden Administration’s decision for a non-conditional withdrawal, citing the relinquishment of a range of secondary goals, the likely subjugation of women, children, and other U.S.-favored Afghans, and a spate of violence that has already struck parts of the country. Ambassador Neumann expresses pessimism about the future of Afghanistan post-withdrawal, and voices concern for Afghans who had strongly believed in U.S.-based values.Ambassador Neumann currently serves as the President of the American Academy of Diplomacy, and you can find out more about his work there, here.