After 20 years, all US troops are now out of Afghanistan. Is that a good thing? Is the war really over? What happens now to our Afghan allies left behind? Will there be any accountability for failure in Washington? After gripping episodes with Matt Zeller, Jane Horton and Kristen Rouse, the newest episode is keeping our focus squarely on Afghanistan. The military pieces, media coverage, political spin, humanitarian need, the human story–we’re digging into all of what is happening right now.
Our guest has been there. He’s a leader for this moment. He just returned from a controversial, unauthorized visit to Afghanistan made alongside fellow veteran and Democrat Congressman Seth Moulton. And he’ll take us inside what he saw.
Representative Peter Meijer is a freshman Republican Congressman who succeeded Republican maverick Justin Amash, in the seat representing Michigan’s 3rd district. He’s fighting for Afghans, he’s fighting partisanship, he’s fighting his own party, and he’s fighting for real change.
After high school, Peter enlisted in the Army reserves and deployed to Iraq with an intelligence unit. After returning, Peter joined Team Rubicon, a veteran-based disaster response organization led by Episode 107 Guest Jake Wood where Peter led humanitarian efforts focused on South Sudan’s refugee crisis. He also led operations in New York after Superstorm Sandy, Oklahoma after a series of tornadoes, and the Philippines after Super Typhoon Yolanda. Peter then accepted a job with a non-governmental organization in Afghanistan. He ran the NGO’s advisory operations in southern Afghanistan, managing a team to help aid workers provide relief to Afghan people. He later served as acting Deputy Director for Afghanistan, delivering emergency assistance to aid workers after kidnappings and targeted killings. Peter knows Afghanistan, knows national security, knows humanitarian work. And he knows this moment. And you need to hear what he knows.
He’s fighting for Afghan allies, for accountability around failures of the last month, and for his fellow veterans. He is also fighting with his own party. He was one of only 10 Republicans in the House to vote for the impeachment of Donald Trump. And he’s fighting now to repeal the AUMF (Authorization for Use of Military Force), for the truth inside what happened on the January 6th insurrection–and for the soul of the Republican party.
Our host, national security and political analyst and Army veteran Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) has known Peter for over a decade. He digs deep with Pete and breaks down the latest news from a truly independent viewpoint. It’s a bold and blunt perspective you won’t find anywhere else on the media landscape.
