How an Afghan Commando Brought America’s Shadow War to Washington
An elite Afghan commando trained by the CIA ended up opening fire near the White House. An interview with a former national security adviser under the Afghan republic lays bare the parallel state the U.S. built and then abandoned, which helped to forge the shooter’s path.
The Mushroom Captivating Wartime Ukraine
As the war in Ukraine nears its fifth year, the country is in the midst of a mental health crisis. Lacking other options, some are finding relief in the amanita mushroom, which many see as a culturally appropriate way to combat wartime trauma.
The Chaos and Uncertainty That Dissolved Al-Hawl
A rushed transfer of authority in northeastern Syria has upended the fragile order inside al-Hawl, the sprawling camp that for years has held tens of thousands of people linked, directly or indirectly, to the Islamic State group. Witnesses described a chaotic handover marked by unguarded fences, smuggling networks and fear.
The Invisible Lines That Divided South Asia
The historian Sam Dalrymple joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss the politics of making borders, partition in the Indian subcontinent and his new book, “Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia.”
Beirut’s History Is Being Repaved
Incredibly, parts of Beirut’s Roman walls have survived all the intervening upheavals, human and natural, of the past two millennia. But these remnants, and the ancient tombstones the walls were lined with, are under threat — not from earthquakes or war, but the construction of a parking lot.