Beyond the Frontline

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit kabulinstitute.substack.comIn this episode of Beyond the Frontlines, Dr. Zahir Mirza traces the evolution of extremism in the United States. From the attacks of September 11, 2001, to the Oklahoma City bombing, to Charleston, El Paso, and January 6, we explore how domestic white supremacist violence has consistently surpassed Islamist-inspired attacks in frequency, lethality, and…

A single act of violence should never define an entire population. Yet, in the latest episode of Beyond the Frontlines, we examine how one man’s desperate attack on two US National Guardsmen has been used to justify freezing the lives of tens of thousands of Afghan refugees, people who stood with the United States, trusted its promises, and risked everything for its mission.Join Dr. Zahir Mirza as he unpacks the politics, the moral failure, and the human cost of collective punishment. This episode

In this episode of Beyond the Frontline, Dr. Zahir Mirza takes listeners deep into the world of Pashtunwali—the centuries-old code of conduct that governs honor, justice, and social life among the Pashtuns. Far from a relic of the past, Pashtunwali continues to shape Afghan society, politics, and power dynamics in ways the media rarely captures.We explore:* The core principles of Pashtunwali and their historical roots.* How it has been misrepresented, politicized, and abused by politicians,

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit kabulinstitute.substack.comForty million dollars a week. Headlines say it goes to the Taliban. But the truth is far more complicated. In this episode, we trace the flow of U.S. aid through banks, UN agencies, and NGOs, and explore how the Taliban inevitably benefits indirectly while millions of Afghans struggle to survive.From frozen markets to starving families, from hospitals o…

Forty million dollars a week. Headlines say it goes to the Taliban. But the truth is far more complicated. In this episode, we trace the flow of U.S. aid through banks, UN agencies, and NGOs, and explore how the Taliban inevitably benefits indirectly while millions of Afghans struggle to survive.From frozen markets to starving families, from hospitals on the brink to teachers and healthcare workers keeping society alive, this episode unpacks the human, political, and moral paradox behind one of the

We often hear the call: ‘Open schools for girls in Afghanistan.’ It sounds moral, noble, and urgent. But what if that very push is exactly what the Taliban want?"In this week’s episode of Beyond the Frontline, we dig deep into how Taliban-controlled education is not just about classrooms; it’s a political tool. They use it to gain legitimacy, reward symbolic concessions, and indoctrinate an entire generation of children. Every international call for access under Taliban rules risks giving them

Every dollar that entered Afghanistan in the name of rebuilding also bought something else: a little more silence, a little more corruption, and a little more betrayal.For two decades, Afghanistan wasn’t just a war. It was a business. Billions flowed into the country, not to build a nation, but to feed an industry of contractors, consultants, politicians, and middlemen. And while the world believed the fiction of progress, Afghans lived the reality of collapse in slow motion.In this episode of

Every nation has a story. For Afghans, the tragedy is that ours has almost always been told by someone else, soldiers, diplomats, journalists, politicians, foreigners, aid workers. Everyone but us.In this premiere episode of Beyond the Frontline, we take you behind the headlines to reclaim the Afghan story. From the fall of Kabul on August 15, 2021, to the collapse of social order that followed, we explore the human experiences, the betrayals, and the truths often buried beneath foreign narratives