28 afghanistan fell...quickly, will 'murica learn?

we’re continuing our new, wednesday deep dive articles called hottakes on our website at theweeklyrundown.us. we’re continuing our discussion of the origins of the arab-israeli conflict - this week, how a protest over the Wailing Wall led to the end of an uneasy peace after the british had taken over palestine.

big idea: afghanistan fell...already

1. well, that was quick readers. last week we cited US intelligence reports that kabul would fall to the taliban within 30 days, and it fell within 30 minutes of our issue’s publication. remind us again, why do we trust the US intelligence services?
2. anyways, afghanistan is in total chaos, with tens of thousands attempting to flee the country via land and air, its former (and cowardly) president in exile in the UAE, women afraid to venture outside their homes, helicopters ferrying americans from around kabul to the airport, billions of dollars of abandoned american military equipment being seized by the taliban, or really anyone who happens to be walking by.
3. this has turned out to be a huge mess for ol’ Joe, who was counting on at least a month to evacuate the thousands of american diplomats and contractors still in afghanistan. instead of an orderly sulk out the back door, he got a stampede at the kabul airport, live streamed for the world to see. Joe didn’t exactly handle things well once the taliban took kabul either, taking days to speak to the nation, and even then, mostly blaming others instead of taking responsibility for the loss of the capital.
4. it’s entirely unclear what’s going to happen now. no one really knows if the taliban will stick to its promises to not aid terrorists anymore and allow women in the public sphere. the afghan people have protested in a number of cities against the taliban takeover, and there are reports that opposition leaders are regrouping in traditionally anti-taliban ethnic areas. Joe’s approval numbers have hit an all-time low, and polling shows americans don’t know what the heck to think of the situation either. this was a quick, but not altogether surprising, end to the american occupation of afghanistan, where it’s pretty clear the afghan people have lost the most.

story to watch: will ‘murica learn from afghanistan?

1. we know, we know, talking about afghanistan for both our big idea & story to watch is cheating, but it’s the end of a generation-long war - what lessons (if any) ‘murica draws from this conflict is incredibly important. the intelligence failures from the start to end of this whole quandary were and are staggering, yet it’s unclear if any heads will roll in Joe’s administration.
2. the state and defense departments are already publicly pointing figures at the CIA and the rest of our alphabet soup of spy agencies, even though there’s plenty of blame to be spread around the whole bureaucracy. it’s alarmingly clear that we had literally no idea what was happening on the ground in much of afghanistan, let alone kabul itself. the taliban took over afghanistan quicker than NATO forces did after 9/11, which means the taliban had spent years negotiating and strategizing with local leaders to take control.

this week’s image: time for profanity

• (The Atlantic) public health posters on a subway station in new york city exhorts people in...profane terms to get vaccinated

this week’s number: Amazon sales total $610 billion

1. sales on Amazon totaled $610 billion from June 2020 to 2021, surpassing even Walmart, whose sales were $566 billion. this is the first time Amazon sold more stuff for more money than Walmart, which is the largest private employer in the US. sales at Amazon are difficult to calculate since most items on their website are sold by third party sellers, so that $610 is an estimate.
2. this comes even as Walmart had tremendous sales growth during COVID, and amid news that Amazon is planning to build department stores...hold on, we gotta get our checkbooks to pay the cashier

what we’re making: lemon olive oil tart

1. it’s summer, and if you’re desperate for a refreshing and tangy dessert, look no further - this lemon olive oil tart is just what you’re looking for. the combo sounds odd, but the olive oil keeps the tart light and crisp, not heavy.
2. you can serve it with some lightly sweetened and freshly whipped cream, but we’d recommend eating the tart as it is, straight from the fridge. it’s fruity, lip puckering, and bright, perfect for these muggy august days.

and, in case you missed it:

• china reportedly has a secret jail, or black site, in dubai for uyghurs and foreign dissidents
• facebook’s most popular post in the entire first quarter of this year was an anti-vaccine news story
• two lads found a note from a canadian fisherman in a bottle off the coast of ireland. the canadian apparently did not realize that mail, email, or carrier pigeons would’ve been faster.

the weekly rundown is produced by Yunus, Faisal, and Ahmed. learn more about us and email us your comments and feedback!