The Afghan President's Crucial Visit to Washington

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani visited Washington last week, meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden. Ahead of the meeting, Deputy Director Michael Kugelman told the New York Times, "It won't be a happy conversation." Public Policy Fellow Earl Anthony Wayne said "It is crucial that Ghani’s visit produces concrete and convincing evidence of continuing U.S. support for the Afghan government and security forces," in his piece for Asia Dispatches.

Biden has promised to remove all remaining American troops from Afghanistan before September of this year, at the meeting with Ghani, he stated that "Afghans are going to have to decide their future," but pledged that the United States would "stick with" the country and provide additional assistance. "We're gonna do our best to see to it you have the tools you need."

Additional Coverage:

Foreign Policy | Dawn | Here & Now (NPR) | Axios | DW

Turkey Looks to Expand Footprint in Afghanistan / Michael Kugelman writing for Foreign Policy

The Limits of a Friendship / Michael Kugelman writing for Inkstick

India needs to play the Afghan Great Game / Michael Kugelman quoted by the Sunday Guardian

With victory in sight, the Taliban has started talking / Michael Kugelman quoted in The Times UK

Reconciling the rhetoric and reality of Biden’s trade policy / Shihoko Goto writing for East Asia Forum

What the numbers say about Japan's efforts to host the Olympics amid COVID-19 / Shihoko Goto quoted in USA Today

G7 a missed opportunity for Tokyo-Seoul ties as Suga and Moon fail to connect / Shihoko Goto quoted by The Japan Times

Kim Jong Un is waging a culture war, and North Korea is cracking down on foreign movies, slang, and even clothes and hairstyles / Jean H. Lee quoted by Business Insider

Kim Jong Un appears to have lost some weight — and that could have geopolitical consequences / Jean H. Lee quoted by The Washington Post

Flooding And Pandemic Restrictions Compound North Korea's Food Insecurity / Jean H. Lee appearing on Morning Edition (NPR)

In 2016, North Korean hackers attempted to steal a billion dollars from Bangladesh's national bank. They nearly succeeded. The Korea Center's Jean H. Lee and journalist Geoff White host The Lazarus Heist podcast for BBC World Service, delving into the details of the heist and the history of cybercrime in North Korea. The podcast has topped the charts in both the UK and the U.S. The first ten episodes are available now online and in your favorite podcast app.

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