I decided to take Intro to World Politics because it is a requirement as an International Relations major at Agnes Scott. Although I knew I would introduced to unfamiliar ideas, as I had taken only AP U.S. Government & Politics in high school, I did not know that it would take me to Afghanistan and […]
Global Terrorism
In the sixth episode of ‘Benghazi Unraveled,’ the events from the 2011 revolution and 2012 attack are linked to the state of Libya and rebel groups today. Post-Gaddafi regime in Libya, there was a lack of state structure or control (“Ansar al-Sharia”). Various militias, military group and rebel groups continued to thrive without an overarching […]
Politics and Foreign Policy
The fifth episode of ‘Benghazi Unraveled’ focuses on the investigation into Benghazi, Hillary Clinton’s role as Secretary of State and the effects of Benghazi on Foreign Policy. After the events of Benghazi, the investigations by the American government focused on the presence, or lack of security during the attack, as well whether then Secretary of […]
The Benghazi Attack
In the fourth episode, the attack on Benghazi is detailed, from the immediate event coverage and later House Select Committee investigation. On the evening of September 11, armed militants broke into the main compound of the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where there were seven Americans personnel that evening (“Final Report,” 2016). Two were Ambassador […]
Diplomatic Missions
The third episode of ‘Benghazi Unravelled’ investigates the link between U.S. diplomatic missions geographies and their intentions while overseas. Location is everything. A diplomatic organization’s geographical placement affects its security, representation and efficacy (Mamadouh, 2015). Locating missions at significant geography is a part of the tradition of diplomatic missions; it signals the importance or relevance […]
Libya’s Past
In the second episode of ‘Unraveling Benghazi’, explore Libya under Muammar Gaddafi, religious radicalism in Libya, and the history of American-Libyan relations. Libya is a state that has experienced several regime changes, under colonization, dictatorship and monarchy. The country, located in North Africa, between Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan, and Egypt, has been historically an […]
America in 2012
In this episode, the American presence abroad and the engagements of the U.S. are examined around 2012 by hearing from a variety of foreign policy experts’ opinions. In the decades before 2012, and the Benghazi attack during September 11th and 12th of that year, America was engaged significantly around the world with various anti-terrorist programs […]
Serial 2 Present for Duty Response
My view before listening to the entirety of Serial 2 was that I knew little of the American military presence in Afghanistan. I did not know what soldiers experienced on the ground, how captured Taliban are treated by the U.S. government or how captured U.S. soldiers are treated by terrorist organizations (the closest thing I read about it before was Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, about an American POW), how long Bowe was in Afghanistan or what the U.S. was doing in Afghanistan now. I lacked the most basic awareness of Bowe’s case or what his recovery meant for American and international politics and the war in Afghanistan.
Serial 2 Thorny Politics Response
Listening to the podcast now, I want to know the answer to my original question. In the penultimate episode of Serial 2, narrator Sarah Koenig hones in on this politicization of Bowe’s rescue, and what that means for military strategies, political compromises and diplomatic negotiations today.
Serial 2 Trade Secrets Response
After listening to Episode 9, I found out that peace talks with the Taliban have hit setback after setback, and some have seemed especially calculated and intentional. For example, the leaks about the U.S.-Taliban peace talks; when the Afghanistan High Peace Council head and former president Burhanuddin Rabbani was assassinated, right before international peace talks were set to begin in late 2011. Then in 2013, the Afghan government, the U.S., the Qataris and the Taliban are working to allow the Taliban to have a political office in Qatar. Then the Taliban violates the ground rules and labels the office as the ‘Islamic Emirate.’ Karzai is upset, and the Taliban feel humiliated over a misunderstanding. Talks halt again.
