The spectacular collapse of the U.S.-backed Afghan government in August 2021 shocked the world and upended millions of lives. One year on, many Afghans who fled are still struggling to make sense of what happened and how to think about home.
Through the Afghanistan Observatory initiative, The Intercept and New America have provided training and editorial support for eight extraordinary Afghan journalists, analysts, and human right defenders who were already outside the country or were forced to leave when the Taliban took over. Since March, the scholars have been working on independent research and writing projects that chronicle the mass migration from Afghanistan last year and seek clarity about and accountability for the collapse of the country’s security forces.
This week, The Intercept launched “No Way Home,” a four-part documentary podcast developed, reported, and narrated by these Afghan storytellers, as well as the first part of an investigative series on corruption and mismanagement in the Afghan security forces and the U.S. government, military, and intelligence community that supported them.
On September 15 at 12 p.m. ET, New America and The Intercept held a live conversation with two of the Afghanistan Observatory scholars, Mir Abdullah Miri and Humaira Rahbin. The discussion was facilitated by Candace Rondeaux, director of the Future Frontlines and Fellows programs at New America, and Vanessa Gezari, national security editor at The Intercept.
Follow the conversation on Twitter at #AfghanistanObservatoryScholars.
IT’S EVEN WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT.
What we’re seeing right now from Donald Trump is a full-on authoritarian takeover of the U.S. government.
This is not hyperbole.
Court orders are being ignored. MAGA loyalists have been put in charge of the military and federal law enforcement agencies. The Department of Government Efficiency has stripped Congress of its power of the purse. News outlets that challenge Trump have been banished or put under investigation.
Yet far too many are still covering Trump’s assault on democracy like politics as usual, with flattering headlines describing Trump as “unconventional,” “testing the boundaries,” and “aggressively flexing power.”
The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments, billionaire oligarchs, and backsliding democracies around the world. We understand the challenge we face in Trump and the vital importance of press freedom in defending democracy.
We’re independent of corporate interests. Will you help us?
IT’S BEEN A DEVASTATING year for journalism — the worst in modern U.S. history.
We have a president with utter contempt for truth aggressively using the government’s full powers to dismantle the free press. Corporate news outlets have cowered, becoming accessories in Trump’s project to create a post-truth America. Right-wing billionaires have pounced, buying up media organizations and rebuilding the information environment to their liking.
In this most perilous moment for democracy, The Intercept is fighting back. But to do so effectively, we need to grow.
That’s where you come in. Will you help us expand our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026?
We’re independent of corporate interests. Will you help us?
I’M BEN MUESSIG, The Intercept’s editor-in-chief. It’s been a devastating year for journalism — the worst in modern U.S. history.
We have a president with utter contempt for truth aggressively using the government’s full powers to dismantle the free press. Corporate news outlets have cowered, becoming accessories in Trump’s project to create a post-truth America. Right-wing billionaires have pounced, buying up media organizations and rebuilding the information environment to their liking.
In this most perilous moment for democracy, The Intercept is fighting back. But to do so effectively, we need to grow.
That’s where you come in. Will you help us expand our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026?
We’re independent of corporate interests. Will you help us?
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