Episode 11: Unlikely Alliance

None Of The Above

In April, President Biden announced he would withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Within months, Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, fell to the Taliban. The Biden administration’s evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats and Republicans, including one of this week’s guests, Representative Peter Meijer (R-MI-3). But Meijer is also a critic of America’s twenty-year war in Afghanistan, something he shares with our second guest, Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA-17).

On this week’s episode of None Of The Above, you’ll listen to our conversations from back in May with Representatives Meijer and Khanna, conversations which help us reflect on the current debate over America’s global role. As the heartbreaking events in Afghanistan unfold, their reflections on how the U.S. has found itself perpetually at war can serve as a guide for current and future policymakers who wish to avoid the mistakes of the last twenty years. These two Congressmen agree on very little, but are united in their belief of a less interventionist U.S. foreign policy.

Congressman Ro Khanna represents California’s 17th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. He sits on the House Armed Services Committee and is the Congressional Progressive Caucus Vice-Chair.

Congressman Peter Meijer represents Michigan’s 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives and is a veteran of the Iraq War. He also sits on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Additional: Reps From Both Political Parties Deliver Anti-War Message (NowThis and Eurasia Group Foundation, June 9, 2021)