Protecting Afghanistan #39;s ancient Buddhist heritage
Brent Huffman, the director behind the new documentary Saving Mes Aynak, tells the story of one of Afghanistan #39;s archaeological treasures and the threats it faces from a Chinese mining...
By: PBS NewsHour
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Protecting Afghanistan's ancient Buddhist heritage - Video
Sometimes when you travel, its not so much the place you travel to but rather the people you meet. And sometimes the people you meet can be a little out there.
When I went to Afghanistan in February for the Afghan Ski Challenge, I was the out there one for my friends. But I have never met a woman like Candace Lau, a 28-year-old Chinese-Australian photographer who took a year off work to travel on the cheap through India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran.
The less money I spend, the longer I can travel, she told me. And I prefer to take public transportation because its cheap, and you actually meet the locals.
And in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, where women cant travel alone freely (or safely), Candace used her heritage and androgyny to her advantage.
Because I look Chinese, people think Im Hazara (a tribe based in northern Afghanistan). And then people see how Im dressed and assume Im a boy, and I tell the men Im a boy, and the women Im a girl, Candace said.
And Candace, because of the way she looks and peoples assumptions about her sex (and her understanding of Dari, a local language), could find out things that the locals would never tell us. Like: How the locals date, who makes the worst husbands (Apparently the local Tajiks like to cut off ears and noses.), and what Afghanis really think of us.
Candace had very little problem passing as a boy.Photo: Paula Froelich
But the ruse didnt go over well with everyone. While most people would stare at Candace and giggle, Kausar, a Pashtun in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, shook his head and said, No! That is not right! She will get herself into trouble.
Which left me wondering is she incredibly brave or insane?
This article originally appeared on Yahoo Travel.
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Photographer disguised herself as boy to get around Afghanistan
Conversation: Examining China #39;s Presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Stratfor Analysts Rodger Baker and Kamran Bokhari discuss the foreign policy challenges that lay ahead for China in Afghanistan and Pakistan as the US winds ...
By: STRATFORvideo
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Conversation: Examining China's Presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan - Video
AH-64 Apache Longbow in Afghanistan - Flir aiming Fire
An overview of the World Military videos on the navy, air force, army. From aircraft carriers to fighter planes, passing through tanks, infantry and special forces, to the attack submarines....
By: Military HUB
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AH-64 Apache Longbow in Afghanistan - Flir aiming Fire - Video
Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai on Wednesday stated that Kabul's new policy, which was formulated after the 2001 terror attacks in New York, have placed India in a very prominent position.
"The relationship between Afghanistan and India over the past 10 years has been rewarding to the fullest, which I am sure the Afghan people will remember and carry on forward," Karzai said, while addressing a seminar titled 'Afghanistan and the Neighbourhood' at the India Habitat Centre here.
Speaking of the unique geographical position of Afghanistan, Karzai said that his nation is situated at a crossroads.
"Afghanistan is situated at the crossroads of South and West Asia. The country has been described as the Eastern crossroad of history. In the past three centuries, Afghanistan has had the privilege of shaking hands with all the great superpowers of the times," he said.
"The past three decades have been of massive significance to Afghanistan and the region, unfortunately mostly in a negative way. Before the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, the nation was very peaceful which went along with India's vision of non-alignment," he added.
Karzai also stated that Afghanistan was caught between two superpowers, which abandoned it suddenly, the tremors of which have been felt all over the world.
"The Afghan people waged resistance against the invasion, and as we did that, the West supported our resistance. With that, we experienced the imposition of two conflicting Western ideologies. This conflict cost the Afghan life and institutions dearly. When the Soviets left, the West abandoned us, which gave the inevitable rise to extremist radicalism and terrorism. The consequences of that were felt in 2001 all the way in New York," he said.
"From that point on, Afghanistan developed a new view in its foreign policy. We established a democratic set-up, a country that would choose its destiny through the votes of its people. We also decided on a multi-centred foreign policy. In this, we gave India a very prominent position," he added. (ANI)
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In Afghanistan's new foreign policy, India's position prominent: Hamid Karzai