The Afghanistan Project Podcast

Welcome to Episode 162 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, my guests are Sonia Norton, Director of Advocacy at No One Left Behind, and Luke Magyar, Advocacy Coordinator for No One Left Behind.Luke and Sonia talk about a new survey NOLB conducted of Afghans who have been deported to their homeland from neighboring countries and the dangers they face as a result.The effort informs important moves underway to restore SIV issuance to our allies. Sonia and Luke also discuss the status of the Afghanistan TPS Act of 2026 and other advocacy measures underway at NOLB.About the guests:Sonia Norton is the Director of Advocacy at No One Left Behind. Before joining No One Left Behind, she worked in the House of Representatives for five years with members of the House Committees on Armed Services, Judiciary, and Ways and Means. Most recently, she served as the Senior Legislative Assistant for Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), where she led a policy portfolio including Afghan allies, foreign affairs, and judiciary issues. In that role, Sonia was the lead House Democratic staffer for the introduction of the Afghan Adjustment Act and was named one of the Top 10 Policy Staff to Watch. Sonia has also served as a Fulbright-Nehru English Teaching Assistant and was elected for three terms on the Women’s Congressional Staff Association Board.Luke Magyar is the Advocacy Coordinator for No One Left Behind, leveraging his military experience and past research to support and serve the NOLB community. Before joining NOLB in June 2026, Luke served as an intelligence analyst in the United States Marine Corps from 2017 to 2022, deploying to the Middle East and Ukraine, and supporting North Atlantic Treaty Organization training missions in Norway. He later worked as the Fellows Program Director and Director of Advocacy and Outreach at the Corioli Institute, where he partnered with Afghan and Ukrainian allies to conduct research and advocate for policies to facilitate allied veteran reintegration. Luke holds a B.A. in Political Science, cum laude, and an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago and its Committee on International Relations, where his research focused on susceptibility to foreign influence and information operations.About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 161 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today begins part of a three-part series from mapping enthusiast and expert, veteran John G. We talk about his expertise inside Afghanistan, including a discussion of much of his first tour of duty in the Arghandab Valley, and what led him to develop an interest in mapping out the country and its tumultuous past.About John G: John G was an intelligence officer who joined the U.S. Army in 2006. He was assigned Military Intelligence after OCS and was sent to 5/2 Stryker Brigade in Fort Lewis WA. The brand new unit was intended to go to Iraq, was sent instead to Southern AFG in '09-10 with an AO of Kandahar, Zabul, and eventually Helmand provinces. It was in Afghanistan that John learned to love google earth and started using it on a daily basis. He was later stationed with 2nd brigade, 1st Cav division in Ft Hood and deployed again to Bagram in 13-14. He left the service in 2015 but still loves mapping and history.About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 160 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, I've got a familiar returning guest, #AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver. This time, he's giving updates on all the latest for Afghans, including the threat of deportation for those who entered under CBP One.Find #AfghanEvac here: https://afghanevac.org/About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 159 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, I am joined by Robert Billard, an Afghanistan veteran and content writer at Military.com. We chat about the state of the Afghan resistance in Afghanistan, and what is needed to turn the tides against current leadership given ongoing economic and security turmoil inside the countryAbout Robert Billard: Robert Billard is a content writer for Military.com and an Afghanistan veteran who joined the Marine Corps in 2005 and has deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom twice. Once as a Rifleman with the 6th Provisional Security Company in 2007, and again as a Logistics Advisor to the Afghan National Security Forces in 2014-2015. He is also a veteran of Resolute Support Mission and numerous named overseas exercises in support of various combatant commanders.Robert’s writings have been featured in professional academic journals such as the Journal of Advanced Military Studies and Marine Corps History and he is a contributing author at We Are The Mighty and the Brownstone Institute. Robert is an avid student of military history and strategy and a vocal acolyte of Carl Von Clausewitz. About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 158 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. My guest is Dr. Samantha Nutt, founder and president of War Child Canada and War Child USA. We talk about her longstanding work in Afghanistan, the issues that have faced children in the country over years of conflict, and other conflict zones that are cause for concern today.About Dr. Samantha Nutt: Dr. Samantha Nutt is an award-winning humanitarian, bestselling author and the Founder and President of War Child USA and War Child Canada. For over two decades, she has worked with children and their families at the frontline of many of the world’s major crises - from Iraq to Afghanistan, Somalia to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone to Darfur, Sudan. A leading authority on public health, war, international aid and foreign policy, Dr. Samantha Nutt is a highly acclaimed public speaker in North America. Dr. Samantha Nutt is a staff physician at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. A recipient of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honour, Dr. Samantha Nutt's international work has benefited millions of war-affected children globally.About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 157 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, I've got a familiar returning guest, #AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver. This time, he's giving updates on all the latest for Afghans, including the 9-month extension for Camp As Sayliyah, and the recent entry of two Afghans through the U.S. Refugee Admissions ProgramFind #AfghanEvac here: https://afghanevac.org/About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 156 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. I'm excited to bring back Leslie Merriman, founder of nonprofit Our Culture is Giving, to talk about the last five years of support to Afghans following the Taliban takeover.Lovely Leslie dives into the hard topics - mental health, victims of the Taliban, and the harm being done to ethnic minorities.Find Our Culture is Giving here:https://ourcultureisgiving.org/About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 155 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. I'm excited to introduce Andres Caceres-Solari, a former U.S. Marine, to discuss his unheeded intelligence warnings about the Taliban's resurgence while at NATO HQ. We also address major shortcomings in our Afghanistan mission.About Andres:Andres H Caceres-Solari is a former US Marine who served several tours in Iraq and the southern Philippines, and was also a Foreign Area Officer in Indonesia. He is currently an academic living in Europe with a PhD in international law specializing in insurgencies. As a human rights lawyer, he represents several Ukrainian families against Russia at the European Court of Human Rights. He is a published author, has written several books to include Criminal Negligence in Command, where he details the failure of NATO’s HQ to address the advances of the Taliban, as well as the emergence of the Islamic State, the Russian intention to invade Ukraine in 2014, and the rise of the Houthis as a threat in the Middle East.About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 154 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Lt. Gen. John Bradley talks about how the Lamia Afghan Foundation started with his wife Jan's incredible efforts to send needed items to Afghans overseas. We talk about how the organization grew and what it continues to do in present-day Afghanistan.About Lt. Gen. Bradley:General Bradley retired from the United States Air Force in August 2008, with 41 years of service. He was the Chief of Air Force Reserve, Headquarters, United States Air Force, Washington, District of Columbia, and the Commander of the Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, the largest Major Command in the U.S. AirForce, responsible for over 76,000 Airmen, around the world. Prior to this he was the Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for Reserve Matters, the Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia. He is a Vietnam veteran, with 337 combat missions as a fighter pilot. He has over 7,000 flying hours in the A-37, A-10, F-4, and F-16 fighter aircraft. He is a member of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council.Find Lamia Afghan Foundation here: https://lamia.org/About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 153 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Colin Smith returns to The Afghanistan Project Podcast to discuss the latest report from the U.N. Sanctions Monitoring Team on terror growth inside Afghanistan and around the world. About Colin:Colin Smith is the UK Threat Assessment Expert and Coordinator, overseeing the work of the United Nations’ Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which supports implementations of sanctions against the Taliban. The monitoring team also provides biannual assessments of the global threat that Al Qaeda and ISIL and its affiliates pose. Colin was a British diplomat in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for twenty years, focusing on national security and counter-terrorism.Find the latest UN Monitoring Team assessment here:https://docs.un.org/en/S/2026/651About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/