FP This Week: “Afghan women” aren’t who you think they are

Plus, a shocking new report on U.S. failures in Afghanistan. [Foreign Policy This Week]( August 15, 2022 | [View in browser]( To access all the benefits of an FP subscription, [sign in]( or [subscribe](. Thanks for reading. Photo by Stefanie Glinski for Foreign Policy One story [stands out]( amid the coverage of the first anniversary of Kabul’s fall to the Taliban. Ten-year-old Roya lives in Chil Dokhtaran, a remote village deep in the mountains of Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province. Roya, an ethnic Hazara, tells Stefanie Glinski that the closest government school is a two-hour walk away—and that now it’s closed to girls after the sixth grade. Roya, Glinski writes, “had high ambitions: first high school, then university, maybe medical school.” Those ambitions, at least for the moment, are thwarted. You’ll encounter lots of other unforgettable personalities in Glinski’s wide-reaching assessment of Afghanistan one year out from the U.S. withdrawal, including journalists beaten for covering a women’s rights march, an ambitious Talib student of political science, and a well-known Afghan martial artist stuck in a camp in Abu Dhabi. Glinski also points out that for many Afghans, there are positives to Taliban rule: less everyday violence, for one, and the promise of the reconstruction of roads and other infrastructure in relative peace. And as Lima Halima Ahmad points out in a powerful Argument, “[‘Afghan Women’ Aren’t Who You Think They Are]( “Western good intentions will not necessarily improve the lives of women in Afghanistan.” A report by Rep. Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which McCaul [discusses]( with FP’s Robbie Gramer, portrays a State Department that was ill-prepared for the rapid collapse of the Afghan government last year. “We’re still reeling from the damage that was done last August, including emboldening and empowering our foreign adversaries,” McCaul tells Gramer. As for Roya? Her father had been pushing her to dream big, but, Roya says, “dreaming isn’t possible anymore.”—The editors P.S. Our FP Live interview with Samantha Power, covered in last week’s edition of FP This Week, has been postponed and will be rescheduled for the fall. You’ll be the first to know when a new date is confirmed. In the meantime, you can watch or read a transcript of FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal’s [interview]( with Lynne O’Donnell, a columnist for FP who was detained by the Taliban in late July, and Michael Kugelman, the writer of FP’s weekly South Asia Brief. They cover everything from the Taliban’s governing style to why Pakistan has “buyer’s remorse.” --------------------------------------------------------------- Chart of the Week: Pacific Island Countries’ Climate Risk, 2019 Projected average annual economic loss from various climate change scenarios from 2020 to 2050. Source: UN ESCAP Due to economic mismanagement, inadequate infrastructure, and ecological degradation caused by overfishing and underregulated forestry and mining activities, Pacific island countries’ economies remain relatively underdeveloped and undiversified. Industries such as tourism, fisheries, and mining are also heavily susceptible to climate change, which could cause significant economic losses to those industries and GDP. Currently, Pacific economies are losing an average of 7.4 percent of GDP each year to climate-related hazards. FP Analytics’ [latest Insider brief]( explores the potential economic and security impacts of climate change on Pacific island countries and the role of climate development finance in their economies. --------------------------------------------------------------- Most Popular on FP - [With Putin’s Latest Crackdown, Russia Is Going Dark]( By Alexey Kovalev - [What Does China Want?]( By Hal Brands and Michael Beckley - [The World Is Seeing How the Dollar Really Works]( By Adam Tooze - [Why Is Armenia So Close to Russia and Iran?]( By Daniel W. Drezner - [Turkey Is the Biggest Swing Player in the Russia-Ukraine War]( By Eugene Chausovsky --------------------------------------------------------------- From Around FP - 1 Million Downloads: FP’s economics podcast Ones and Tooze reached 1 million downloads this month. The hosts—historian Adam Tooze and FP deputy editor Cameron Abadi—look at two data points each week that explain what’s happening in the world. 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On [Global Reboot]( FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal discusses this alarming trend with Hélène Landemore, a political scientist at Yale University. Are you interested in learning more about FP Analytics’ cutting-edge research services, hosting an FP Virtual Dialogue event, or building a podcast with FP Studios? [Explore partnership opportunities](. Would you like to enable organization-wide access to Foreign Policy to maximize your savings? [Find out]( if a group subscription is right for your team. --------------------------------------------------------------- Full access. Half-price. Don't miss out on intelligent analysis that contextualizes the headlines. Select your access level and enter promo code [FPSUMMER22 for 50 percent off]( your first month or year of unlimited access. FOLLOW FP ON This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you are subscribed to the FP This Week newsletter. Want a friend to receive this newsletter? [Forward it]( now. Want to receive other FP newsletters? 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