Seeking Security

Muhammed Fouad, a cattle rancher, was just two years into a venture to bring affordable milk to his hometown in Iraq’s Anbar province, when — seemingly overnight — the cows started dying. “We brought in veterinarians from Erbil, because [the cows] were OK and suddenly dying the next day."Muhammed Fouad, cattle rancher, Iraq“We brought in veterinarians from Erbil, because they were OK and suddenly dying the next day,” Fouad said in a phone call, through a translator.The initiative left him with $350,000 in damages. Fouad had to lay off his employees and sell his home to pay his debts to the project’s investors. He now works in construction in the city of Hit. Related: 'Drought has severely impacted livestock keepers' in Afghanistan Unprecedented drought — driven by climate change and exacerbated by upstream irrigation — is wreaking havoc on some of the world’s oldest river-fed farmlands in Iraq and Syria.A dry winter has pushed water levels on the Tigris and Euphrates to record lows, disrupting hydroelectric p

At a factory in Ningbo, China, forklifts unload raw materials from a shipping container. The factory makes all kinds of plastic items — storage containers, toys, Christmas lights and decorations — and sends them in other shipping containers to dollar stores across the United States.Last year, the factory owner, Duan Li, presented the process to The World: huge bags of plastic pellets that he imports from Malaysia, molding machines pumping out products 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and workers packing boxes on the factory floor.Related: ‘Where’s my stuff?’ Here’s why global supply chains are out of whack due to pandemic“I’ve got at least 200 shipping containers worth of plastic storage boxes just sitting in a warehouse, but I can’t get the shipping containers to put them in. The prices used to be low, but now a shipping container costs me $20,000. And the wait for a container is two or three months.”Duan Li, factory owner, China“I’ve got at least 200 shipping containers worth of plastic storage boxes just

Every day, for the past two weeks, Paulina Bownik has driven a 45-mile round trip from her home in Białystok, in northeastern Poland, to the border with Belarus. Bownik, a general practitioner, carries boxes of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories that she hopes to give to 32 Afghans stranded at the border.The group has been there for almost a month, unable to move, as soldiers and border police from both countries stand guard. The camp is located at the edge of a forest near the Polish village of Usnarz Gorny, but Poland says it’s on Belarusian territory. Belarus, on the other hand, says the migrants are on Polish soil.Related: EU's top migration official calls for global response to help Afghans in order to avoid migrant crisis in EuropeOfficials from both countries have told the migrants they should apply for asylum in the opposite nation.On the first day Bownik drove to the camp, Polish border guards stopped her.“I asked the soldiers if I could give them the medicines and they told me that this is not poss

The UN refugee agency is warning that half a million Afghans could leave their country by the end of the year. But where will people from Afghanistan flee? In Europe, several countries are sending a clear message: Don't come here. Many in Europe don't want a repeat of 2015, when more than a million asylum-seekers, mostly Syrians, arrived on the continent.Related: Women’s shelters in Afghanistan face an uncertain futureEuropean Comissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, Europe's top migration official, is calling for a global response to support Afghans in Afghanistan, in order to avoid a migration crisis in Europe.Usually based in Brussels, Johansson is currently in Washington, DC, where she's been meeting with US officials. She joined The World's host Marco Werman to discuss the EU's plans to avoid another migration crisis like the one in 2015. Related: 'We are so afraid': An Afghan women's rights activist is left behind in AfghanistanMarco Werman: Madam Commissioner, what is the plan EU ministers have com

With the Taliban now in power in Afghanistan, many are now wondering how they'll govern and whether the country will once again become a safe haven for terrorist groups like ISIS-K and al-Qaeda.On Thursday, US Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, even said that it's “possible” the US could seek to coordinate with the Taliban on counterterrorism strikes against ISIS and other militants.Related: Chaos in Afghanistan creates power vacuum for ISIS, al-Qaeda to reorganize, counterterrorism expert saysAnd President Joe Biden vowed to continue airstrikes against ISIS after it conducted a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport last week, killing scores of Afghans and 13 American service members.Related: Afghans mourn the loss of young lives in ISIS attacksFor a look at how the different groups are likely to interact in the new Afghanistan, The World's host Marco Werman spoke with Ibraheem Bahiss, a consultant with the International Crisis Group's Asia program, where he focuses on Afghanistan

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is in Washington today for a White House meeting with US President Joe Biden. It's a meeting at least two years in the making.Zelenskiy had plans to sit down with former President Donald Trump, but the meeting was derailed by Trump's impeachment scandal — tied precisely to a phone call between Trump and Zelenskiy.In the infamous call, Trump asked Zelenskiy to investigate Joe Biden.Now, with Biden in office, officials in both countries are looking for a relationship reset.Related: Alexander Vindman: Accountability is key to building back American unityWilliam Taylor, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, joined The World's host Marco Werman to talk about the significance of today's meeting between Ukraine and the United States. Related: US will go 'beyond mere statements' to support Ukraine sovereignty Taylor now serves as vice president of strategic stability and security at the United States Institute of Peace.Marco Werman: Ambassador, you were a key witness in Presiden

“We regret to inform you that international military evacuations from Kabul airport have ended.” That’s the grim message many Afghans received via text from US officials this weekend.The news was a gut punch for thousands of Afghan activists, civil society workers and those who assisted the US military and other foreign powers. Many rushed to flee the country when the Taliban took over several weeks ago but remain stranded. Related: Afghan families are being rapidly resettled in the US. But adjusting to their new lives will take years.  Although the Taliban has promised rights for women and those who have opposed them, the hard-handed Taliban rule of the '90s still haunts many Afghans today, making them skeptical of whether those pledges will be fulfilled.Related: 'They're depending on us': Afghan interpreter scrambles to help evacuate colleagues in AfghanistanOne women's rights activist who wishes to remain anonymous for security reasons joined The World's host Marco Werman to talk about what life is like in

It starts with the noise. Harsh mechanical sounds like loud screeching. Then, an uncomfortable pressure, a loss of balance like being hit with a beam of energy.All of that can be followed by months — even years — of headaches, nausea, hearing and memory loss.Since 2016, more than 200 US government officials have described feeling some or all of these symptoms and others. It's widely known as "Havana syndrome," since the first cases were detected in the Cuban capital.The number of reported cases of possible attack is sharply growing and lawmakers from both parties, as well as those believed to be affected, are demanding answers. But scientists and government officials aren’t yet certain about who might have been behind any attacks, if the symptoms could have been caused inadvertently by surveillance equipment — or if the incidents were actually attacks.Cuba and other countries where these types of attacks have been reported deny any involvement. Related: More details but no answers in brain trauma cases of US

As the Taliban take control of Afghanistan, Kurdish allies in northern Iraq — where the US is also planning to draw down its combat forces — are watching with concern.In July, President Joe Biden announced that the US is ending its combat mission in Iraq.The withdrawal will leave Kurds — arguably Washington’s most devoted ally — physically and politically vulnerable. Some Kurds say their lives will be endangered when US troops leave. Related: Kurdish authorities are controlling religious messaging“Yes, we are watching what’s happening in Afghanistan, but we are hoping that the situation in the two countries are different."Falah Mustafa Bakir, senior foreign policy adviser to Nechirvan Barzani, president of Kurdistan region of Iraq“Yes, we are watching what’s happening in Afghanistan, but we are hoping that the situation in the two countries are different,” said Falah Mustafa Bakir, a senior foreign policy adviser to Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdistan region of Iraq.Although the two countries are di

The family’s new apartment is on the second floor of a mazelike, lower-income complex in a suburb of Sacramento, California.It’s barely furnished, but bit by bit, it’s becoming home. A vacuum cleaner stands next to two donated mattresses, leaning against a wall.“We haven’t gotten the beds yet. No worries. For now, we are managing.”Afghan father in Sacramento, California“We haven’t gotten the beds yet,” the father said. “No worries. For now, we are managing.” Donated mattress and a tricycle are among the items slowly arriving at a newly arrived Afghan family’s apartment in Sacramento, California.  Credit: Monica Campbell/The World  Just days before Kabul fell to the Taliban, the family in Sacramento — mom and dad and their 2-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son — managed to fly out of Afghanistan after the father received a Special Immigrant Visa based on his work for the US military.Related: How to help Afghans right now Because of ongoing threats by the T

China has announced that the political ideology of its president, Xi Jinping, will now be taught in schools from elementary through the university level. The Ministry of Education said the goal is to cultivate the builders and successors of socialism with an all-around moral, intellectual, physical and aesthetic grounding. What's known as "Xi Jinping Thought" has actually been enshrined in China's constitution since 2018.Related:  Taliban takeover could mean more security challenges for Chinese projects in PakistanIt includes caution against China's enemies. The move comes amid global tensions with Beijing, economically and politically. US Vice President Kamala Harris criticized China during her recent Southeast Asia tour, stemming from both countries' territorial ambitions in the South China Sea.Related: Southeast Asia allies express concern over US commitment amid Afghanistan crisisFrançois Godement is the author of "Les Mots de Xi Jinping" or "The Words of Xi Jinping." He's also a senior adviser for Asia a

After a week of anticipation — and some confusion — 51 evacuees from Afghanistan arrived in Uganda on Wednesday morning.It’s the first group of an expected 2,000 people who could be hosted by the East African country in the coming months.In the capital, Kampala, the arrival of Afghans has become the talk of the town.Related: After Museveni wins presidency, Ugandans gradually return to preelection normal“I heard a lot on social media that there will be refugees from Afghanistan. For all this time, we’ve been waiting,” said Peter Anyole, who works in logistics.Many Ugandans were surprised when the government announced last week that they would be hosting Afghans. After all, the two countries have little connection to one another.“We received a request about whether we can temporarily accommodate these Afghan brothers and sisters as they get documented and prepared to be eventually taken to the US for settlement there."Chris Baryomunsi, Ugandan Minister of Information“We received a request about whether we can t

As the US continues to execute its exit from Afghanistan while trying to secure the Kabul airport, counterterrorism experts are warning that the threat of terrorism is rising.United States President Joe Biden mentioned ISIS-K, or ISIS-Khorasan Province, an affiliate group that operates in Afghanistan, in his remarks on Tuesday. "Every day we're on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport, and attack both US and allied forces, and innocent civilians," Biden said. Related: In the wake of ISIS, Kurdish authorities are controlling religious messaging Will Afghanistan become a safe haven for terrorist groups, like ISIS?Matthew Levitt, director of counterterrorism and intelligence at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, joined The World's host Marco Werman to discuss potential threats. Marco Werman: The situation is changing on the ground in Afghanistan very quickly. But given what you have been seeing and reading, do you believe that Afghanistan will become a safe ha

China is ratcheting up aggression toward Taiwan by buzzing the island with fighter jets and bombers every single week.As Beijing sees it, Taiwan is a lost province that must eventually come under its control. Yet, Taiwan has its own elected government, military and alliances, most notably with the US, which supplies the island with billions in weapons.Whether the United States would go to war to defend Taiwan is an open question.Related: Southeast Asia allies express concern over US commitment amid Afghanistan crisisLast week, President Joe Biden suggested it would. His office scrambled to say he had misspoken. There is no getting around it: Any genuine invasion of Taiwan would have severe implications upon the island’s 23 million population as well as the future of the American empire.The World’s Patrick Winn spoke with Kolas Yotaka, a former Taiwanese legislator who is now a spokeswoman for the Taiwan presidential office, about the situation.Patrick Winn: Chinese state media is pointing to Afghanistan and s

The United States is slated to get a new military base — this time in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Last month, during high-level talks in Honolulu, the US Indo-Pacific Command and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) agreed to build a new base in the island nation, an archipelago of more than 600 islands strewn across the Western Pacific, some 3,700 miles from Hawaii. The move is seen as another component of the Biden administration’s continued effort to increase its footprint in Oceania. However, details about the base, so far, are scarce, causing anxiety for some FSM citizens who are worried about disruptions to their way of life, and wary about the idea of American military expansion in the region.Related: The pandemic wiped out tourism on Pacific island nationsSam Illesugam, 41, has lots of questions about the new military base: How big? What kind of base?“All of those questions are still very much up in the air for us,” Illesugam told The World. Illesugam, who now lives and works in the US territ

As the Taliban advanced on Kabul last weekend, the Afghan military retreated. They left behind weapons — combat aircraft, armored vehicles, machine guns and ammunition.Much of it had been provided by the US.Related: How the Kabul airport went from calm to chaos On Monday, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the US does not want to see any US-made weapons fall into the hands of what he called "people that would use them to harm our interests." Related: This Afghan interpreter helped the US Army Special Forces. He's desperate to leave Afghanistan."I don't have an exact inventory of what equipment that the Afghans had at their disposal that now might be at risk," Kirby said. Jodi Vittori, a former US Air Force officer who served in Afghanistan, has a unique perspective on what this could mean for Afghanistan.Vittori now co-chairs the global politics and security program at Georgetown University and she joined The World's Carol Hills to talk about how the Taliban might use weaponry left behind by

Tanya, a naturalized Canadian citizen who lives in Ottawa, has been trying to get her entire family to Canada, or the US, for years.More recently, she has prioritized getting her father — whom she said worked as a subcontractor repairing equipment for the Canadian and American militaries — onto an evacuation flight to escape Taliban retaliation.Tanya, who asked The World not to use her last name to avoid endangering her family members, said that when her father didn't answer her call on Friday, she panicked.“I called my brother and said, ‘Is everything OK? Are you guys OK?’ And he said, ‘Yes, we were attacked yesterday.’ And that just shattered me, basically.”Armed men had come to the house, he told her — and her family members escaped by climbing over a wall and have now gone into hiding.Tanya sent her family’s documents to the Canadian government three weeks ago, after the government announced that Afghans looking to be evacuated should submit their information via email, but said she is still waiting to he

Maj. Gen. Mohammad Reyaz Arian was the top commander in charge of security at the Hamid Karzai International Airport — one of the most important locations in the country — before the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban, a position he held for six months.Before that, 45-year-old Arian served in the presidential protection service for Afghan presidents Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani.Related: This Afghan interpreter helped the US Army Special Forces. He’s desperate to get out of Afghanistan.Arian, wearing his military uniform and sitting in front of a portrait of Ghani and a flag of Afghanistan projected confidence during an interview with The World at the airport in late July.“You know, the security situation in our country, when you work in security, many things keep you awake at night. We are working to have tight security inside the airport.”Maj. Gen. Mohammad Reyaz Arian, previously the top commander in charge of security at Hamid Karzai International Airport  When asked if he was worried about airport securi

For Jalil, a 37-year-old father of three, the urgency to leave Afghanistan has been there ever since he began receiving death threats from the Taliban for his work with the US Special Forces.And, he has known other Afghans who have been murdered by the Taliban for the same work he once did.Jalil, who asked to use his first name only, for security purposes, was an interpreter with the US Army Special Forces for nearly a decade.Related: US biometric devices are in the hands of the Taliban. They could be used to target Afghans who helped coalition forces.Ever since the US entered Afghanistan, it has hired thousands of Afghan interpreters. The Taliban have called them traitors who must be punished. And many have. Since 2014, at least 300 Afghan interpreters or their relatives have been killed. Now, as the Taliban have taken over the country, many of these Afghans fear being left behind.The long wait for a visaFor nearly two years, Jalil has been waiting for a visa, known as a Special Immigrant Visa, or SIV, for h

During the first impeachment trial of former United States President Donald Trump, National Security Council member Alexander Vindman was a central witness. He listened in on that now-infamous phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy — the one where Trump pressured the Ukrainian president to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Vindman reported his concerns up the chain of command. Then, he found himself testifying before Congress and addressing his father in his opening remarks.Related: Calling Vindman a 'double agent' ahead of testimony is 'reprehensible'"Dad," Vindman began, "I'm sitting here today in the US Capitol, talking to our elected professionals. Talking to our elected professionals is proof that you made the right decision 40 years ago to leave the Soviet Union, come here to the United States of America, in search of a better life for our family. Do not worry. I will be fine for telling the truth," he said. Related: Trump's hypocrisy on corruption is just wh