In February 2020, as COVID-19 was beginning to spread across the globe, the United States and the Taliban signed an agreement that charted a path to ending nearly two decades of war in Afghanistan.

If all went according to plan—and there was much to suggest it wouldn’t—all foreign forces would depart in spring, 2021. Meanwhile, long-awaited negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban were underway, once again in Doha.

Although we all know about the events that culminated in the collapse of the Republican government, the return of the Taliban and the final withdrawal of international forces in August 2021, curious listeners will appreciate these perspectives that do not come with the luxury of hindsight.

The pertinent questions of the time have since been answered, but who knew at the time?

Would the Taliban uphold its side of the Doha Agreement with the U.S.? Would Trump wait to find out? Would the Taliban concede to a ceasefire with the Afghan National Security Forces? And could President Ghani cling to power and steer the country toward peace?

If the agreement failed, or indeed if it succeeded, how would history judge the United States for its role in Afghanistan? And what future would be left behind for Afghans who have variously thrived in, endured and raged against the occupation?

As Afghanistan teetered, yet again, on a precipice between hope and despair, Afghanistan After America aimed to dissect the issues driving the decisions made in Washington D.C., Kabul, Doha and Quetta, and how they played out on both sides of the battlefield, on the streets and inside homes, mosques and businesses across Afghanistan and beyond, in the twilight of what would be a 20 year war.

Afghanistan After America draws from events of the past that continue to affect the present and have since been proved to affect the future. It explores Afghanistan’s rich and fraught history through some of those who’ve survived to tell their tales.

Episodes are hosted by Andrew Quilty, an Australian journalist who lived in Afghanistan between 2013 and 2022 and reported from most of its provinces, collecting numerous professional accolades for his work along the way.

Afghanistan After America is a place for conversations that go beyond the limits of mainstream media audiences.

His guests are Afghans and outsiders from all walks of life with unique and confronting perspectives; they are leading analysts, thought-leaders, humanitarians, journalists, veterans and decision-makers from up and down the numerous tangled chains of command.