Potters, Warlords, and the End of the Islamic Republic

The town of Istalif, located in the plains of Parwan north of Kabul, and the political lives of the potters that live there, provide a rich ethnographic example for how even areas that supported the US invasion and the new government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan eventually became disillusioned with the rhetoric from these groups and their failure to produce real change in the lives of ordinary Afghans. The funding, both military and development, that poured into the country, particularly between 2009 and 2013, enriched a regional elite that was not interested in distributing wealth and political power, unlike more local leaders. This shift in the socio-economy of power in Istalif, and elsewhere in the country, helps explain the rapid collapse of the Islamic Republic, but also shows how local politics in Afghanistan reshaped US policy and its approach to intervention and empire

Töpferei, Warlords und das Ende der Islamischen Republik

Istalif ist eine Stadt in der Ebene von Parwan nördlich von Kabul. Sie bietet reichhaltiges ethnografisches Anschauungsmaterial dafür, wie sogar in solchen Gebieten, in denen viele Menschen den Einmarsch der USA und die neue Regierung der Islamischen Republik Afghanistan stark befürworteten, letztlich Desillusionierung einsetzte: Und zwar sowohl gegenüber der Rhetorik von USA und Regierung als auch angesichts ihrer gescheiterten Versuche, im Leben von normalen Afghan:innen wirklich etwas zum Besseren zu verändern. An den Geldern, die vor allem zwischen 2009 und 2013 für militärische und für Entwicklungszwecke in das Land flossen, bereicherte sich eine Klasse regionaler Eliten. Diese interessierten sich weitaus weniger als die stärker lokal verankerten Führungsschichten für eine faire Verteilung von Wohlstand und politischer Macht. Die Verschiebung der sozio-ökonomischen Macht hin zu regionalen Eliten, in Istalif und anderswo im Land, erklärt, wie es zum raschen Zusammenbruch der Islamischen Republik kam. Ebendiese Verschiebungen zeigen außerdem, wie lokale politische Prozesse in Afghanistan die Politik der USA beeinflussten – und auf die US-Sicht auf militärische Interventionen und die US-Globalpolitik allgemein einwirkten

Töpferei, Warlords und das Ende der Islamischen Republik

Istalif ist eine Stadt in der Ebene von Parwan nördlich von Kabul. Sie bietet reichhaltiges ethnografisches Anschauungsmaterial dafür, wie sogar in solchen Gebieten, in denen viele Menschen den Einmarsch der USA und die neue Regierung der Islamischen Republik Afghanistan stark befürworteten, letztlich Desillusionierung einsetzte: Und zwar sowohl gegenüber der Rhetorik von USA und Regierung als auch angesichts ihrer gescheiterten Versuche, im Leben von normalen Afghan:innen wirklich etwas zum Besseren zu verändern. An den Geldern, die vor allem zwischen 2009 und 2013 für militärische und für Entwicklungszwecke in das Land flossen, bereicherte sich eine Klasse regionaler Eliten. Diese interessierten sich weitaus weniger als die stärker lokal verankerten Führungsschichten für eine faire Verteilung von Wohlstand und politischer Macht. Die Verschiebung der sozio-ökonomischen Macht hin zu regionalen Eliten, in Istalif und anderswo im Land, erklärt, wie es zum raschen Zusammenbruch der Islamischen Republik kam. Ebendiese Verschiebungen zeigen außerdem, wie lokale politische Prozesse in Afghanistan die Politik der USA beeinflussten – und auf die US-Sicht auf militärische Interventionen und die US-Globalpolitik allgemein einwirkten

Potters, Warlords, and the End of the Islamic Republic

The town of Istalif, located in the plains of Parwan north of Kabul, and the political lives of the potters that live there, provide a rich ethnographic example for how even areas that supported the US invasion and the new government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan eventually became disillusioned with the rhetoric from these groups and their failure to produce real change in the lives of ordinary Afghans. The funding, both military and development, that poured into the country, particularly between 2009 and 2013, enriched a regional elite that was not interested in distributing wealth and political power, unlike more local leaders. This shift in the socio-economy of power in Istalif, and elsewhere in the country, helps explain the rapid collapse of the Islamic Republic, but also shows how local politics in Afghanistan reshaped US policy and its approach to intervention and empire

Learning physics in context: a study of student learning about electricity and magnetism

This paper re-centres the discussion of student learning in physics to focus on context. In order to do so, a theoretically-motivated understanding of context is developed. Given a well-defined notion of context, data from a novel university class in electricity and magnetism are analyzed to demonstrate the central and inextricable role of context in student learning. This work sits within a broader effort to create and analyze environments which support student learning in the sciencesComment: 36 pages, 4 Figure

Effect of Hydrocortisone on Mortality and Organ Support in Patients With Severe COVID-19: The REMAP-CAP COVID-19 Corticosteroid Domain Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Evidence regarding corticosteroid use for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is limited. Objective: To determine whether hydrocortisone improves outcome for patients with severe COVID-19. Design, Setting, and Participants: An ongoing adaptive platform trial testing multiple interventions within multiple therapeutic domains, for example, antiviral agents, corticosteroids, or immunoglobulin. Between March 9 and June 17, 2020, 614 adult patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled and randomized within at least 1 domain following admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) for respiratory or cardiovascular organ support at 121 sites in 8 countries. Of these, 403 were randomized to open-label interventions within the corticosteroid domain. The domain was halted after results from another trial were released. Follow-up ended August 12, 2020. Interventions: The corticosteroid domain randomized participants to a fixed 7-day course of intravenous hydrocortisone (50 mg or 100 mg every 6 hours) (n = 143), a shock-dependent course (50 mg every 6 hours when shock was clinically evident) (n = 152), or no hydrocortisone (n = 108). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was organ support-free days (days alive and free of ICU-based respiratory or cardiovascular support) within 21 days, where patients who died were assigned -1 day. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model that included all patients enrolled with severe COVID-19, adjusting for age, sex, site, region, time, assignment to interventions within other domains, and domain and intervention eligibility. Superiority was defined as the posterior probability of an odds ratio greater than 1 (threshold for trial conclusion of superiority >99%). Results: After excluding 19 participants who withdrew consent, there were 384 patients (mean age, 60 years; 29% female) randomized to the fixed-dose (n = 137), shock-dependent (n = 146), and no (n = 101) hydrocortisone groups; 379 (99%) completed the study and were included in the analysis. The mean age for the 3 groups ranged between 59.5 and 60.4 years; most patients were male (range, 70.6%-71.5%); mean body mass index ranged between 29.7 and 30.9; and patients receiving mechanical ventilation ranged between 50.0% and 63.5%. For the fixed-dose, shock-dependent, and no hydrocortisone groups, respectively, the median organ support-free days were 0 (IQR, -1 to 15), 0 (IQR, -1 to 13), and 0 (-1 to 11) days (composed of 30%, 26%, and 33% mortality rates and 11.5, 9.5, and 6 median organ support-free days among survivors). The median adjusted odds ratio and bayesian probability of superiority were 1.43 (95% credible interval, 0.91-2.27) and 93% for fixed-dose hydrocortisone, respectively, and were 1.22 (95% credible interval, 0.76-1.94) and 80% for shock-dependent hydrocortisone compared with no hydrocortisone. Serious adverse events were reported in 4 (3%), 5 (3%), and 1 (1%) patients in the fixed-dose, shock-dependent, and no hydrocortisone groups, respectively. Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with severe COVID-19, treatment with a 7-day fixed-dose course of hydrocortisone or shock-dependent dosing of hydrocortisone, compared with no hydrocortisone, resulted in 93% and 80% probabilities of superiority with regard to the odds of improvement in organ support-free days within 21 days. However, the trial was stopped early and no treatment strategy met prespecified criteria for statistical superiority, precluding definitive conclusions. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02735707

Connecting with Kabul : the importance of the Wolesi Jirga election and local political networks in Afghanistan

Noah Cobur

Afghan election 2010 : alternative narratives

Noah Cobur