The photograph makes the assumption that the Taliban will immediately take over if the US withdraws from Afghanistan when, in fact, continued US presence in the country is making that outcome all the more likely. Worst of all, the photograph retroactively changes the history of the Afghan war by making it seem as if the US-led invasion and occupation was undertaken to ameliorate the plight of women. Now that the original mission has failed, it seems that Time is trying to write its own version of history. Regrettably, it has followed a tradition of using Afghanistan’s women as a tool to argue in favour of military ventures.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 7th, 2010.
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