7 HN users recommended this documentary8 months2014–2023score 10
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
Recommended during Afghanistan withdrawal threads as a sobering look at why the transition to local forces was failing.
Ben Anderson's VICE documentary shows embedded reporting on Afghan security forces and US Marines in Helmand during the troop drawdown, exposing incompetence, drug abuse and corruption.
“I highly recommend the 2013 documentary” (HN, 2021)
Their youtube channel used to deliver incredibly raw and direct coverage of world events other US news sources seemed to be ignoring. Over the last few years though I've become increasingly annoyed with what content of theirs I saw, it's definitely changed. Their coverage of the rebuilding efforts and failures in Afghanistan for instance was very illuminating and well done, I highly recommend giving this a watch though it's very upsetting: [this video]
Illuminating coverage of rebuilding failures; upsetting
For a fascinating insight into the disaster that was supposed to be the training of and transition to local security forces, I highly recommend the 2013 documentary "This Is What Winning Looks Like": [this video]
Fascinating insight into failed transition to local security forces
Vice news has (or had?) some actual journalists. They hired Ben Anderson whos Afghanistan and Iraq reporting was really impressive. Especially "This is what winning looks like". [this video] If i recall correctly he made the footage when embedded via the BBC and (re)published it on vice? Still incredibly impressed of the footage he managed to shoot as an embedded journalists. I would guess in no small parts due to the integrity of Major Bill Steuber. Unfortunately that seems to have cost him his military career. He is now a security guard in Manhattan. [link] Afterwards Anderson mentioned the required style of reporting at Vice negatively (the camera focusing on his reactions) but he stayed with them for a while. Not sure if he is still associated with them. edit: Fixed timestamp & He left vice last year [link]
If you haven't seen the VICE special This Is What Winning Looks Like [0], watch it. As a sibling comment said, there was no plausible path to success. It was just a tremendous waste of time and resources, many of which just ended up in terrorist hands. [0] [this video]
Shows war was a waste with no plausible path to success
The VICE documentary This Is What Winning Looks Like exposes some of the same struggles with Afghanistan. It's a very sobering and disturbing report, available on youtube. [this video]
Sobering and disturbing report on Afghanistan struggles
The VICE documentary This Is What Winning Looks like [0] was very illuminating for me, the situation there is a total clusterfuck and waste of resources. [0] [this video]
Illuminating look at waste and chaos in Afghanistan
The goal was never to "win". It was to build up an army (the afghan army) that could eventually stand by itself and defend the government in place. This was a largely failing effort even years ago, considering that most of the afghan army were made up of people from the north of Afghanistan and previous geopolitics (north/south) play a role. The people in the south would at times trust the taliban over sympathisers for the previous northern warlords which had influence over members of the afghan army. See this documentary (from 8 years ago) about how utterly lost and helpless this situation has always been: [this video]
Shows how lost and helpless the situation always was
I was never much of a VICE follower, but their This Is What Winning Looks Like [0] special on the US' war in Afghanistan seemed like pretty solid journalism. Wish they'd continue producing content like that... Hamilton's Pharmacopeia was fun as well. [0] [this video]
"Old Vice": [this video] "New Vice": [link] > A @VICEUK video producer once responded to me: "I don't understand why this is so difficult, all I want to know is if you can do the job" when I brought up the issue of my safety covering sensitive topics in China, and how I'll take the fall while her team leaves unscathed. > Naomi: Off limits stuff: I don't talk about my relationship status or my sexual orientation. China is China and it's a complex issue that is sometimes dealt with in pragmatic ways- and my focus is on other issues. It's just a lot of trouble here. > Vice: "LOL. We outed you on an international stage and also went out of our way to get your Patreon banned, buh-bye!" Hopefully they can regain their conscience and quality.
To state the obvious, the Afghans in aggregate, were not willing to build an army and were not willing to defend themselves against the Taliban. This Is What Winning Looks Like (2013?): [this video]
Cited in support of Afghans' unwillingness to defend themselves
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