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The images of Taliban fighters seizing the presidential palace in Kabul are gut-wrenching for so many reasons.
What does it mean for a country already mired in violence and chaos? What was the point of two decades of war if the Taliban was just going to stroll back in when international forces left?
For Afghan women they are particularly terrifying. The Taliban are synonymous with brutality towards women and girls. And the past 20 years have seen important — though imperfect — gains for gender equality in Afghanistan.
Melbourne University’s Azadah Raz Mohammad has previously worked with the administrative office of the Afghan president. Today, she writes with Monash University peace and gender expert, Jenna Sapiano.
Together they warn: “Women and girls are pleading for help as the Taliban advance”.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan expert William Maley asks how did this all come to pass?
The country’s institutional and political problems have been festering for years, but the “green light” for the Taliban’s advance ultimately came from Washington. As Maley says, it’s hard to see how the US emerges from the crisis with its credibility fully intact.
And as chaos breaks out at Kabul airport, defence historian John Blaxland reflects on why many are calling this Afghanistan’s “Saigon moment”.
“In Saigon in 1975, Australia basically turned its back on locally employed staff and refused to repatriate them. Many people feel a bit ashamed about Australia’s attitude back then,” he writes.
“The scenes unfolding at Kabul airport suggest that perhaps what was done to help those who helped us was a case of too little, too late.”
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Judith Ireland
Deputy Editor, Politics + Society
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Michael Reynolds/EPA/AAP
Azadah Raz Mohammad, The University of Melbourne; Jenna Sapiano, Monash University
The Taliban have given every indication women and girls will face violence and repression as they take back control of Afghanistan.
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Sidiqullah Khan/AP
William Maley, Australian National University
When historians look back at the shambolic US exit from Afghanistan, it may increasingly appear a critical marker of America’s decline in the world, far eclipsing the flight from Saigon.
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Rahmat Gul/AP
John Blaxland, Australian National University
Scenes of mayhem unfolded at Kabul airport overnight, as foreigners and Afghans try to flee Afghanistan following the seizure of the capital by the Taliban. This is Kabul’s ‘Saigon moment’.
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AAP/EPA/Stringer
Tony Walker, La Trobe University
Every corner of the Middle East and North Africa will be touched in some way by the failure of American authority in Afghanistan.
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Alexander Beltes/ EPA
Andrew King, The University of Melbourne; Nerilie Abram, Australian National University; Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, UNSW
Academic research can shed light on crucial questions about what life on Earth will be like under the most plausible emissions scenarios. And a warning: the answers are confronting.
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Rupixen.com/Unsplash
Katharine Kemp, UNSW
There is no major online marketplace operating in Australia that sets a commendable standard for respecting consumers’ data privacy. Letting customers opt out of data tracking would be a good start.
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Cui Jingying/AP
Michael Toole, Burnet Institute
Since late July, China has faced its biggest challenge since the first wave in Wuhan.
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Business + Economy
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Robert Costanza, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
As weather becomes more extreme, the value of coastal wetlands is increasing.
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Arts + Culture
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Heidi Norman, University of Technology Sydney
Bill Onus was a civil rights activist, artist, performer and entrepreneur. A new documentary from his grandson shares his remarkable story.
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Helen Vatsikopoulos, University of Technology Sydney
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Education
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Andrew J. Martin, UNSW; Rebecca J Collie, UNSW; Robin P. Nagy, UNSW
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Politics + Society
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Timothy Welch, University of Auckland
To reduce pressure on cities and the environment, drivers should face a charge that reflects the actual costs of clogged roads, air pollution, climate change, injury and death.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
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Denis Muller, The University of Melbourne
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Graeme Orr, The University of Queensland
The bill to give parties the right to veto newer parties using the same names is full of problems - and they are not mathematical, but linguistic.
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Science + Technology
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Syed Wajid Ali Shah, Deakin University; Jongkil Jay Jeong, Deakin University; Robin Doss, Deakin University
Despite its known vulnerabilities, SMS-based 2FA is used as a security measure by several major organisations, including the Big 4 banks.
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Health + Medicine
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Kirsty Buising, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity; Caroline Marshall, The University of Melbourne; Forbes McGain, The University of Melbourne; Jason Monty, The University of Melbourne; Louis Irving, The University of Melbourne; Marion Kainer, Vanderbilt University; Robyn Schofield, The University of Melbourne
We found two small air cleaners in a single hospital room could clear 99% of potentially infectious COVID aerosols within 5.5 minutes.
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Tobias Speare, Flinders University; Suzanne Belton, Menzies School of Health Research
Millions of dollars worth of vaccines are thrown out each year because they are not transported or stored at the right temperature. We made a video to help prevent that.
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Bhiamie Williamson, Australian National University
Failed COVID-19 strategies have resulted in the spread of the virus to vulnerable Aboriginal communities in north-Western NSW.
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