CWRU Professor Breaks Down History Of U.S. And Afghanistan Conflict

Today, leaders of the Group of 7 nations, which include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States will meet virtually to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, which continues to be chaotic and violent for people desparate to flee the country. 

At the meeting, President Biden is expected to discuss the possibility of extending the August 31st deadline for withdrawing from Afghanistan, as the country rushes to evacuate an estimated 10 to 15,000 Americans left on the ground, not to mention the thousands of Afghan refugees, many of whom have worked directly with the US, during the two-decade war. That comes after the White House  says about 21,600 people were evacuated from Afghanistan during a 24-hour period ending early Tuesday morning.

This hour on the Sound of Ideas, we're going to start by taking a step back to get some background on how we got to where we are today, what happened between the last time the Taliban ruled the country, to this takeover, and what could possibly be in store next. 

To do that, we're joined by a local expert, Dr. Katie Lavelle, Professor of World Affairs at Case Western Reserve University.

Later in the show, we'll meet former poet laureate Tracy K Smith who will be giving the fall convocation address at CWRU, and we'll talk about what the Tokyo Olympics were like with media relations expert Susan Polakoff Shaw. 

-Katie Lavelle, Professor of World Affairs, Case Western Reserve University
-Tracy K. Smith, Former Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet
-Susan Polakoff Shaw, Media Relations & Press Operations Expert