Thank you Marriane, for your wisdom, strength and most of all compassion. May you continue your work.
It was such a PLEASANT surprise to see you on the debate stage during the primaries.
Heather Cox Richardson's nightly letters over the past year have provided me with some sense of understanding of what is happening in our democracy, now you bring more light and more understanding.
Michael Moore is also shedding light through substack postings and interviews with independent thinkers.
My wish for a miracle would be for Biden to wake up and embrace our current fight for "the soul of our nation". The evangelical right seem soulless in my eyes.. Times seem terrifying, we NEED leadership for our democracy, but more importantly for our planet. Capitalism is NOT the answer and seems unsustainable, our military industrial complex at 25% of our gdp HAS to go. Military contractors HAVE to go.
Socialism needs a new definition? Our maybe just government officials need a heart? Idk.
Oh what a tangled web we weave/When first we practice to deceive’ What a brilliant and thought-provoking conversation! Thank you both, Marianne and Sarah.
In terms of lessons to learn from history about how to go about supporting democracy in other countries, I have written a book on the subject that is worth reading. It’s central point is that because of the predominant importance of local actors, institutions, and traditions in determining political outcomes, local allies will be decisive and the most that U.S. policy can hope to accomplish is to provide assistance to these allies at the margins when they are engaged in a close contest with antidemocratic rivals. As long as such assistance is nonviolent, there are grounds for thinking that it can—at least for a time—succeed: that a country can in fact wage peace. https://upf.com/book.asp?id=9780813033426 I would also like to note that the single greatest example of such an effort to wage peace was the American occupation of Japan after WWII and that a major difference between that success and the failure in Afghanistan was the commitment to land reform in Japan—the commitment to do something to improve the material conditions of life for ordinary people. That commitment conveyed a measure of affinity that was palpable and rooted in a vision of the global common good in which the common good of each was seen as part of the common good of all. See: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273601891_The_Soft_Peace_Boys_Presurrender_Planning_and_Japanese_Land_Reform
Thank you so much for this conversation. I lived in Afghanistan for 20 years, speak the languages, and have written 6 books on the subject. I too approached the military asking them to use my early book as a teaching tool. Also rebuffed. That outside of the corruption on both sides was the most important failure not understanding the Afghan culture. Many Blessings to both of you. Would like a chance to share intimate knowledge of the Afghan culture that most people are clueless about. Afghanistan: A Memoir from Brooklyn to Kabul (amazon).
Thank you Marianne and Sarah for that amazing conversation. I can't stop thinking about that interview and what was shared. It was eye-opening. But then that's what happens when you hear truth. It awakens you. I am reading others post here and appreciate many of your thoughts. To Lynn Duffy - I loved this line in your post: "My wish for a miracle would be for Biden to wake up and embrace our current fight for 'the soul of our nation" ". What I also appreciated was the mutual respect that Marianne and Sarah shared with each other. There was so much wisdom, intelligence and compassion shared between you, and I loved how well you both really listened to each other, letting each other finish their thoughts without interruption. We as the audience really benefit from that genuine authenticity and integrity. Thank you!
Great interview. One reflection. The Afghan people are Afghans. The Afghan currency is the afghani. A common mistake people make is to call the people of the country their currency instead of as Afghans.
Thank you Marriane, for your wisdom, strength and most of all compassion. May you continue your work.
It was such a PLEASANT surprise to see you on the debate stage during the primaries.
Heather Cox Richardson's nightly letters over the past year have provided me with some sense of understanding of what is happening in our democracy, now you bring more light and more understanding.
Michael Moore is also shedding light through substack postings and interviews with independent thinkers.
My wish for a miracle would be for Biden to wake up and embrace our current fight for "the soul of our nation". The evangelical right seem soulless in my eyes.. Times seem terrifying, we NEED leadership for our democracy, but more importantly for our planet. Capitalism is NOT the answer and seems unsustainable, our military industrial complex at 25% of our gdp HAS to go. Military contractors HAVE to go.
Socialism needs a new definition? Our maybe just government officials need a heart? Idk.
Oh what a tangled web we weave/When first we practice to deceive’ What a brilliant and thought-provoking conversation! Thank you both, Marianne and Sarah.
In terms of lessons to learn from history about how to go about supporting democracy in other countries, I have written a book on the subject that is worth reading. It’s central point is that because of the predominant importance of local actors, institutions, and traditions in determining political outcomes, local allies will be decisive and the most that U.S. policy can hope to accomplish is to provide assistance to these allies at the margins when they are engaged in a close contest with antidemocratic rivals. As long as such assistance is nonviolent, there are grounds for thinking that it can—at least for a time—succeed: that a country can in fact wage peace. https://upf.com/book.asp?id=9780813033426 I would also like to note that the single greatest example of such an effort to wage peace was the American occupation of Japan after WWII and that a major difference between that success and the failure in Afghanistan was the commitment to land reform in Japan—the commitment to do something to improve the material conditions of life for ordinary people. That commitment conveyed a measure of affinity that was palpable and rooted in a vision of the global common good in which the common good of each was seen as part of the common good of all. See: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273601891_The_Soft_Peace_Boys_Presurrender_Planning_and_Japanese_Land_Reform
Thank you so much for this conversation. I lived in Afghanistan for 20 years, speak the languages, and have written 6 books on the subject. I too approached the military asking them to use my early book as a teaching tool. Also rebuffed. That outside of the corruption on both sides was the most important failure not understanding the Afghan culture. Many Blessings to both of you. Would like a chance to share intimate knowledge of the Afghan culture that most people are clueless about. Afghanistan: A Memoir from Brooklyn to Kabul (amazon).
Just wow! Completely blown away! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Marianne and Sarah for that amazing conversation. I can't stop thinking about that interview and what was shared. It was eye-opening. But then that's what happens when you hear truth. It awakens you. I am reading others post here and appreciate many of your thoughts. To Lynn Duffy - I loved this line in your post: "My wish for a miracle would be for Biden to wake up and embrace our current fight for 'the soul of our nation" ". What I also appreciated was the mutual respect that Marianne and Sarah shared with each other. There was so much wisdom, intelligence and compassion shared between you, and I loved how well you both really listened to each other, letting each other finish their thoughts without interruption. We as the audience really benefit from that genuine authenticity and integrity. Thank you!
Thank you. Thank you for your insight, courage and wisdom. United we stand and divided we fall. May we come together - love is divine power. Amen
This is also helpful: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/09/13/the-other-afghan-women
Great interview. One reflection. The Afghan people are Afghans. The Afghan currency is the afghani. A common mistake people make is to call the people of the country their currency instead of as Afghans.
It’s worth noting that Biden saw the lay of the land in 2009 but couldn’t persuade the Obama administration: https://theintercept.com/2021/09/02/afghanistan-obama-war-biden/?fbclid=IwAR2MjfT1H7nM9egjWT9d3zcJ3a6sLU0kctFxz5u-vTvMAQtOP3hZfHjS9jo