Edition 2: America’s longest armed conflict barely makes headlines
(This newsletter was sent to email subscribers on December 13, 2019.)
Happy Friday, muggles. Welcome back to Below the Fold. This week, we’re highlighting some international stories that have, shockingly, flown under the radar in the news circuit.
The war in Afghanistan was an epic failure and was worse than we thought
Mon Dec 9
Earlier this week, the Washington Post published a 6-part exposé that detailed the epic catastrophe of the war in Afghanistan. After a three-year legal battle, their investigative team obtained 2,000+ pages of interviews and memos that revealed a harsh, shameful truth: The war was “unwinnable” and the U.S. government lost almost $1 trillion and roughly 6,000 American lives in the process.
“After the killing of Osama bin Laden, I said that Osama was probably laughing in his watery grave considering how much we have spent on Afghanistan.” — Jeffrey Eggers, retired Navy SEAL
There were many factors that contributed to the botched war effort, but ultimately, they boiled it down to two major flaws:
1. No clear strategy or objectives to strive for
2. Misguided “nation-building” efforts that allowed corruption to flourish
Editorial Note: When the story first broke, it was completely overshadowed by Trump’s impeachment inquiry. Throughout the week, the story has gained traction, but it’s still not the top headliner on the Washington Post’s own website.
When asked about the unlucky timing of this story’s publication, news editor David Fallis replied:
“The bottom line is that we publish when the material is ready … I’ve been in the business for three decades and slow news days are pretty much a thing of the distant past.”
Leaders of indigenous tribe protecting Brazilian forest killed in drive-by shooting
Sat Dec 7
Attackers targeted leaders of the Guajajara tribe, Brazil’s largest indigenous group and defenders of the Amazon. This shooting is the latest in a series of violent clashes, which have increased under the country’s current leadership; President Jair Bolsonaro is known for his polarizing, racist views against indigenous people, and his lax policing of commercial deforestation has emboldened ranchers, loggers, and miners to occupy protected areas of the forest.
In response to the shooting, the Brazilian government announced plans to send a security team to protect the tribe from further incidences, but can their word be trusted?
Kindergarten adoptee shows off his new family to classmates
Thurs Dec 5
And to remind us that there is still pure goodness in this world, a kindergartner in Michigan brought his entire class to witness his adoption hearing, making for the cutest field trip ever. That day, 36 other children celebrated their adoptions.
That said, there are still hundreds of thousands of children in the U.S. in foster care. In Los Angeles alone, nonprofit organizations, like this one, struggle to help the 12,000 foster kids who need support from an adult advocate. The good news is, many organizations are looking for volunteers, and there are plenty of ways to help without becoming a foster parent.
Forecast
Here’s a quick glimpse of what to expect in the headlines next week.
That’s all for this week. Have a magical weekend. ✨
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