Rethink Afghanistan
Encyclopedia
Rethink Afghanistan is a 2009 documentary about the ongoing war in Afghanistan
. This full-length documentary campaign features experts from Afghanistan, the U.S., and Russia among others discussing critical issues like military escalation, how escalation will affect Pakistan and the surrounding region, the cost of war, civilian casualties, and the rights of Afghan women.
Rethink Afghanistan also gave birth to a movement based out of the growing need and desire for non-military solutions in the region. Through the production of the full-length documentary film coupled with an online and on-the-ground campaign, Rethink Afghanistan advocates an alternative vision to the current U.S. policy on Afghanistan.
Creators Robert Greenwald
and Brave New Foundation are releasing this film in real time, enabling them to stay atop an ever-changing news cycle.
They have "released all segments of this six-part documentary".
The film interviews experts like Andrew Bacevich
, Stephen Kinzer
, Anand Gopal, Steve Coll
, Ann Jones
, Linda Bilmes
, Jo Comerford, Dr. Roshanak Warnak, and more.
As part of the filmmaking process, acclaimed Director Robert Greenwald (Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers, Outfoxed
, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
) traveled to Afghanistan to meet with and interview members of Afghanistan's parliament, bloggers, women's rights organizations, and groups committed to the peace movement.
The ultimate goal of this documentary campaign is to raise the level of public discourse, compel people to ask key questions about the war, and urge Congress to vote NO for any the escalation of U.S. troops in the war in afghanistan. Already, the campaign has successfully helped retired Corporal Rick Reyes and other veterans testify before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and meet with members of Congress.
Reyes, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, testified before Sen. John Kerry and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
He told the committee, "Sending more troops will not make the US safer; it will only build more opposition against us. I urge you on behalf of truth and patriotism to consider carefully and Rethink Afghanistan."
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
. This full-length documentary campaign features experts from Afghanistan, the U.S., and Russia among others discussing critical issues like military escalation, how escalation will affect Pakistan and the surrounding region, the cost of war, civilian casualties, and the rights of Afghan women.
Rethink Afghanistan also gave birth to a movement based out of the growing need and desire for non-military solutions in the region. Through the production of the full-length documentary film coupled with an online and on-the-ground campaign, Rethink Afghanistan advocates an alternative vision to the current U.S. policy on Afghanistan.
Creators Robert Greenwald
Robert Greenwald
Robert Greenwald is an American film director, film producer, and political activist.-Early life:Greenwald was born and raised in New York City, the son of Ruth and Harold Greenwald. He attended the city's High School of Performing Arts...
and Brave New Foundation are releasing this film in real time, enabling them to stay atop an ever-changing news cycle.
They have "released all segments of this six-part documentary".
The film interviews experts like Andrew Bacevich
Andrew Bacevich
Andrew J. Bacevich, Sr. is a professor of international relations at Boston University and a retired career officer in the United States Army...
, Stephen Kinzer
Stephen Kinzer
Stephen Kinzer is a United States author and newspaper reporter. He is a veteran New York Times correspondent who has reported from more than fifty countries on five continents. During the 1980s he covered revolution and social upheaval in Central America...
, Anand Gopal, Steve Coll
Steve Coll
Steve Coll is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist and writer. Coll is currently president and CEO of the New America Foundation. Prior to assuming that post on September 17, 2007, Coll was a staff writer for The New Yorker, and served as managing editor of The Washington Post from 1998 to...
, Ann Jones
Ann Jones (author)
Ann Jones is a journalist and author of a number of non-fiction books about her research into women's and humanitarian issues: Women Who Kill, Kabul in Winter, Looking for Lovedu, Next Time She'll be Dead and When Love Goes Wrong...
, Linda Bilmes
Linda Bilmes
Linda J. Bilmes is the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard University. She is a full-time faculty member at the Harvard Kennedy School where she teaches public policy, budgeting and public finance...
, Jo Comerford, Dr. Roshanak Warnak, and more.
As part of the filmmaking process, acclaimed Director Robert Greenwald (Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers, Outfoxed
Outfoxed
Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism is a 2004 documentary film by filmmaker Robert Greenwald that criticises the Fox News Channel, and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, claiming that the channel is used to promote and advocate right-wing views...
, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price is a 2005 documentary film by director Robert Greenwald. The film presents an unfavorable picture of Wal-Mart's business practices through interviews with former employees, small business owners, and footage of Wal-Mart executives...
) traveled to Afghanistan to meet with and interview members of Afghanistan's parliament, bloggers, women's rights organizations, and groups committed to the peace movement.
The ultimate goal of this documentary campaign is to raise the level of public discourse, compel people to ask key questions about the war, and urge Congress to vote NO for any the escalation of U.S. troops in the war in afghanistan. Already, the campaign has successfully helped retired Corporal Rick Reyes and other veterans testify before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and meet with members of Congress.
Reyes, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, testified before Sen. John Kerry and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
He told the committee, "Sending more troops will not make the US safer; it will only build more opposition against us. I urge you on behalf of truth and patriotism to consider carefully and Rethink Afghanistan."
Part 1 – Troops
In the first part of the film the experts argue that due to the rural nature of Afghanistan and the autonomous nature of its tribal people, who adhere to a strict code of honour violated by the invading western forces, a troop surge similar to the one undertaken in Iraq will fail to work and will, in fact, fuel more anti-American terrorism.Part 2 – Pakistan
In the second part of the film the experts argue that the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan was an artificial creation of 19th century British policy which has no reality for the Taliban, who, with the assistance of the weakened Pakistani government, which fears Indian encirclement, have re-invented themselves as a Pashtu nationalist army intent on controlling both countries.Part 3 – Cost of War
In the third part of the film the experts argue that supply problems in a rural, mountainous, landlocked country, lack of oversight and accountability on private contractors resulting in war profiteering and hidden costs such as care for veterans have created an unsustainably expensive war which has contributed to the financial crisis.Part 4 – Civilian Casualties
In the fourth part of the film the experts, supported by interviews and disturbing footage from destroyed communities and IDP (Internally Displace Person) camps, that the bombardment of villages and mosques resulting in the deaths and dismemberment of innocent civilians including children is converting villagers into suicide bombers for the Taliban.Part 5 – Afghan Women
In the fifth part of the film the experts argue that, due to the increased militarisation of the society and misogynist Mujahedeen who have taken key positions in the government and judiciary, violence against women, including rape, child abduction and acid attacks, has increased and statistics about literacy, age range and maternal and infant mortality have not improved since the US invasion.Part 6 – Security
In the sixth and final part of the film the experts argue that the avowed aim of making America more secure is untrue and the world is now less safe for Americans and American operations overseas as terrorism has increased due to the US governments attempts to fight a conventional war in Afghanistan where Al Qaeda no longer has a substantial presence.Participants
- Anand Gopal - Afghanistan Correspondent, Christian Science Monitor
- Robert PapeRobert PapeRobert Anthony Pape, Jr. , is an American political scientist known for his work on international security affairs, especially the coercive strategies of air power and the rationale of suicide terrorism. He is currently a professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and founder of the...
- Professor, Political Science & Author, Dying to Win - Andrew BacevichAndrew BacevichAndrew J. Bacevich, Sr. is a professor of international relations at Boston University and a retired career officer in the United States Army...
- Professor, International Relations and History & Author, The Limits of Power - Faiysal Alikhan - Founder FIDA (Foundation for Integrated Development Action) & Executive Director, The PESCO Group
- Stephen KinzerStephen KinzerStephen Kinzer is a United States author and newspaper reporter. He is a veteran New York Times correspondent who has reported from more than fifty countries on five continents. During the 1980s he covered revolution and social upheaval in Central America...
- Foreign Correspondent & Author, Overthrow - Ruslan AushevRuslan AushevRuslan Sultanovich Aushev was the president of Ingushetia from March 1993 to December 2001. He was reportedly the youngest officer in the Soviet army to reach the rank of Lieutenant General. He received the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union on May 7, 1982...
- Lt. General, Russian Army (Ret.) & Chief, Committee of Russian Afghan Veterans - Thomas J. Barfield - Professor, Anthropology & Pres., The American Institute of Afghanistan Studies
- Dr. Ramazan BashardostRamazan BashardostRamazan Bashardost is Afghanistan's former Planning Minister, a current member of the National Assembly of Afghanistan and was an independent candidate in the Afghan presidential election, 2009.- Early years :...
- Member, Afghan Parliament & Presidential Candidate - Shukria BarakzaiShukria BarakzaiShukria Barakzai is an Afghan politician, journalist and entrepreneur, and a prominent Muslim feminist.-Early life:She was born in 1972 in Kabul, Afghanistan...
- Member, Afghan Parliament & Founder/Editor-in-Chief, Aina-e-Zan (Women's Mirror) - Mohammed Osman Tariq - Former Mujahid Commander, Soviet-Afghan War & Pres., The National Council for Peace and Democracy in Afghanistan
- Carl Conetta - Co-Director, The Project on Defense Alternatives
- Tariq AliTariq AliTariq Ali , , is a British Pakistani military historian, novelist, journalist, filmmaker, public intellectual, political campaigner, activist, and commentator...
- Historian & Author, The Duel: Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power - Steve CollSteve CollSteve Coll is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist and writer. Coll is currently president and CEO of the New America Foundation. Prior to assuming that post on September 17, 2007, Coll was a staff writer for The New Yorker, and served as managing editor of The Washington Post from 1998 to...
- President/CEO, New America Foundation & Author, Ghost Wars - Ahmed RashidAhmed RashidAhmed Rashid is a former Pakistani revolutionary, a journalist and best-selling author of several books about Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia.-Biography:...
- Pakistani Journalist & Author, Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia - Rory StewartRory StewartRoderick 'Rory' James Nugent Stewart OBE FRSL MP DUniv is a British academic, author, and Conservative politician. Since May 2010, he has been the Member of Parliament for Penrith and the Border, in the county of Cumbria, North West England.- Overview :Stewart was a senior coalition official in a...
- Director, The Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Harvard University & Author, The Places in Between - Catherine Collins - Co-Author, The Man from Pakistan
- Lawrence KorbLawrence KorbLawrence J. Korb , is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and a Senior Adviser to the Center for Defense Information...
- Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress & Senior Advisor, Center for Defense Information - Linda J. Blimes - Co-Author, The Three Trillion Dollar War
- SSG. Christopher Bentley - United States Marine Corps
- Winslow Wheeler - Director, Straus Military Reform Project
- Jo Comerford - Executive Director, National Priorities Project
- Pratap ChatterjeePratap ChatterjeePratap Chatterjee is an Indian/Sri Lankan investigative journalist and progressive author. He is a British citizen and was raised in India, although he has lived in California for many years. He served as the executive director of CorpWatch, an Oakland-based corporate accountability organization...
- Managing Editor, Corpwatch - Sonali Kolhatkar - Afghan Women's Mission
- Erica Gaston - CIVIC (Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict)
- Ann JonesAnn Jones (author)Ann Jones is a journalist and author of a number of non-fiction books about her research into women's and humanitarian issues: Women Who Kill, Kabul in Winter, Looking for Lovedu, Next Time She'll be Dead and When Love Goes Wrong...
- Author, Kabul in Winter| - Orzala Ashraf Nemet - Afghan Women's Network
- Kavita RamdasKavita Ramdas-Background and Affiliations:Ramdas was born in Delhi, India and grew up in Mumbai, Delhi, London, Rangoon, and Bonn. She attended high school at the Nikolaus Cusanus Gymnasium in Bad Godesberg, Bonn, Germany; the Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai, and graduated from Springdales School, New...
- President/CEO, Global Fund for Women - Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy - Journalist & Filmmaker
- Fahima Vorgetts - Director, Afghan Women's Fund
- Fatana Gailani - Founder, Afghanistan Women Council
- Robert BaerRobert BaerRobert "Bob" Booker Baer is an American author and a former CIA case officer assigned to the Middle East. He is TIME.com's intelligence columnist and has contributed to Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Baer is a frequent commentator and author about issues related to...
- Former CIA Field Operative, Middle East & Author, See No Evil - Graham FullerGraham FullerGraham E. Fuller is an American author and political analyst, specializing in Islamic extremism. Formerly vice-chair of the National Intelligence Council, he also served as Station Chief in Kabul for the CIA...
- Former CIA Station Chief, Kabul, Afghanistan & Former Vice-Chair, National Intelligence Council - Tom HaydenTom HaydenThomas Emmet "Tom" Hayden is an American social and political activist and politician, known for his involvement in the animal rights, and the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s. He is the former husband of actress Jane Fonda and the father of actor Troy Garity.-Life and...
- Author, The Long Sixties - Robert GrenierRobert GrenierRobert L. Grenier is a longtime CIA officer who served as the CIA's top counter-terrorism official and was fired from that position by CIA director Porter Goss. Later, Grenier joined Kroll, Inc., as Managing Director...
- Former CIA Station Chief, Islamabad, Pakistan & Former Director, Counterterrorism Center - Ursala Rahmani - Former Taliban Official
- Juan ColeJuan ColeJohn Ricardo I. "Juan" Cole is an American scholar, public intellectual, and historian of the modern Middle East and South Asia. He is Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan. As a commentator on Middle Eastern affairs, he has appeared in print and on...
- Author, Engaging the Muslim World
External links
- Rethink Afghanistan Official website
- Afghanvoice.com claims to be an independent and neutral entity that represents the voice of all Afghans and is not associated with any particular group or political party.