The U.S. will soon complete the troops' withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. Nick Schifrin talks to the lead U.S. diplomat for the region, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. Born in Afghanistan, he worked in various capacities with Presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Donald Trump. He is currently the special representative for Afghan reconciliation under President Joe Biden.
Five Facts
What
are the reasons that the U.S. invaded Afghanistan 20 years ago?
Who
is fighting in the war?
Why
is the U.S. now withdrawing troops after 20 years?
When
does President Biden want to have nearly all troops removed from Afghanistan?
What
is the significance of this date?
How
does this change leave the Afghan government?
Focus Questions
Based on what Zalmay Khalilzad says here about the status and recent history of negotiations with the Taliban, what are some arguments for why the U.S. should pull out? What are the arguments for why they shouldn’t?
How do you think the U.S. should approach its future relationship with Afghanistan, and why?
Media literacy:
This activity contains both an article and a video expressing information about the same topic. Which did you find more engaging? Which was more accessible? Why did you think one was more accessible than another? What media tools did it utilize?
For More
For an in-depth timeline of the war in Afghanistan, see
this link
.
