The Boardwalk

Afghan Journalist Bilal Sarwary joins us yet again to discuss challenges facing the Taliban government. We talk about the harsh winter, resistance movements, and terrorism in the IEA. _________________________________________   Where to Listen: Apple: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkapple   Spotify: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkspotify   Pandora: https://bit.ly/3xZ8bk9   Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3...

Dr. Jonathan Schroden joins us to talk about AFPAK relations now that the Taliban are in charge. Throughout the episode, Dr. Schroden mentions a couple of articles addressing any potential rifts within the Taliban government. You can find those, as well as several of Dr. Schroden's articles, below. From War on the Rocks: https://warontherocks.com/2019/09/taliban-fragmentation-a-figment-of-you...

Update regarding Season 4 and its release date! See you guys soon!

Frequent contributors Mik Lopez and Mitch Chahalis join us to discuss life after the military and how hard it is to get out safely.  _________________________________________   Where to Listen: Apple: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkapple   Spotify: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkspotify   Pandora: https://bit.ly/3xZ8bk9   Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3gbZ6ya   Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/37UuZXQ   St...

Comedian, traveler, and host of OOPS The Podcast, Giulio Gallarotti joins the Boardwalk Podcast to discuss a recent trip to Afghanistan more than a year after the Taliban have been in power. Giulio talks about traveling through Maidan Wardak, Bamyan, and Mazar-e Sharif. He's also helping fund a school.  _________________________________________   Where to Listen: Apple: https://bit.ly/theboar...

Zach, Stu, and Kyle discuss warlords in Afghanistan and how they're faring in a new Taliban government. Then we discuss our "favorite" warlords. _________________________________________   Where to Listen: Apple: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkapple   Spotify: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkspotify   Pandora: https://bit.ly/3xZ8bk9   Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3gbZ6ya   Amazon Music: h...

Ukrainian-born US Army Veteran Max Kabachenko joins us again to provide an update about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We also spoke with Max about the charity work he and others have been doing to help Ukrainian service members and their families through the Protez Foundation. The project aims to help Ukrainian children, soldiers, and civilians who lost their limbs during the war get free, qu...

Part 2 of our discussion on Kandahar with Curtis and Luke of The Panjwai Podcast. Their insight into the war on the ground is invaluable and they are always honored guests on our show. _________________________________________   Where to Listen: Apple: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkapple   Spotify: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkspotify   Pandora: https://bit.ly/3xZ8bk9   Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/...

Luke Coffey and Curtis Grace, co-hosts of The Panjwai Podcast, which detailed their time in Panjwai District in 2012, join us in a special two-part episode about Kandahar Province. Lots of fun sidebar conversations in these episodes as well; we hope you enjoy them. _________________________________________   Where to Listen: Apple: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkapple   Spotify: https://bit.ly/theboar...

Center for Naval Analyses operations analyst Dr. Jonathan Schroden and freelance journalist and analyst Rupert Stone joined us this week to discuss the current state of Afghanistan one year following the Taliban resurgence into power. We dove into the long-term viability of the Islamic Emirate and looked into what the future may hold for Afghans and their political leaders.  ______________________...

We took a break from talking about Afghanistan to chat with Zineb Riboua, Research Associate and Program Manager for the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute, about the recent intrareligious fighting between Shia political factions in Iraq that boiled over into 2 days of violence in the streets of Baghdad and Basra. We also dive into the role Iran plays in desta...

Lucas Webber, co-founder and editor of Militant Wire, joins us to talk about insurgent groups fighting against the Taliban, IS-KP, and the Taliban's China problem. You can find Lucas's writing as well as phenomenal writing from a host of contributors at https://www.militantwire.com/ _________________________________________   Where to Listen: Apple: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkapple   Spo...

Bilal Sarwary is a native Afghan who has been covering events in the country for over 20 years. He has worked for the BBC and is now a freelance journalist who tackles topics like terrorism, narcotics, and government corruption. His work has made him a target of the Taliban and even earned him some notoriety with the former government. It is an honor to have such an accomplished guest on our podca...

Join us as we talk about the weather for nearly an hour and Mik tells us what he really thinks of Staff Weather Officers. It's more interesting than it sounds, we promise.  We ordered stickers. If you want one, email us at theboardwalkpodcast@gmail.com all we ask is that you stick it on something and tag us on social media. Please tell your friends about us and recommend us to your boring fri...

Lynne O’Donnell is a journalist with 30 years of experience. She was in Northern Afghanistan when US troops first entered the country in 2001 and was in Kabul last year when the country ultimately fell to the Taliban. Between that time she was a correspondent, eventually becoming the Kabul bureau chief for the French news agency AFP and then the Associated Press from 2009 to 2017. She now writes f...

Frequent guest and contributor and former Ranger Mitch Chahalis joins us to discuss Osama bin Laden and the recent strike on al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. _________________________________________   Where to Listen: Apple: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkapple   Spotify: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkspotify   Pandora: https://bit.ly/3xZ8bk9   Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3gbZ6ya   Amazon Music: h...

Chris DiNoto is a former Marine Corps officer who spent time advising Afghan forces in Helmand. After the collapse of the Afghan government, Chris was instrumental in getting several of our allies out of the country and away from the Taliban. He tells those stories this week on The Boardwalk. _________________________________________   Where to Listen: Apple: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkapple   Spo...

Awesome interview this week with Jasper Burgess. Jasper is a native Australian living in Peshawar who recently traveled to Afghanistan. We are honored to have a raw account of life in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Check out Jasper's adventures on his social media pages linked below. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasperjburgess/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasperjburgess Twitte...

In this episode we catch up on happenings in Afghanistan and at home during the season break.  _________________________________________   Where to Listen: Apple: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkapple   Spotify: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkspotify   Pandora: https://bit.ly/3xZ8bk9   Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3gbZ6ya   Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/37UuZXQ   Stitcher: https://bit.ly/3AQNadj   iHear...

We're getting everything ready for season 3, but we got Curtis and Luke from the Panjwai Podcast to come on and talk about all the dumb things that come with life in the Army. Your experience may vary. We hope this fun and lighthearted podcast will hype you up for the upcoming new season. Special thanks to Hayes Carll and Universal for letting us use the excellent "KMAG YOYO" as our...

Back in March, we did a guest interview on The Way Podcast. Based out of Connecticut, The Way is hosted by Bill Troveski, a recent graduate of the University of Connecticut. On top of being a podcast, They Way is also a weekly radio program airing on college radio at the University of Connecticut and the University of Rhode Island. This was a great opportunity for us to talk directly to younger pe...

Jordan Laird was a Marine scout sniper and contractor before an undiagnosed brain injury left him homeless and suicidal. With help, Jordan got his life back and now helps other veterans struggling with mental health issues and war trauma. He documents his recovery and journey on Instagram . This is the end of season 2. We will be back in a few months with new topics and hope you will join us then....

Professor Frank Vogl, co-founder of non-governmental organizations Transparency International and Partnership for Transparency Fund, joins us to talk about corruption. We discuss corruption in Afghanistan and around the world and America's role in curtailing it.  Check out Frank's new book here: The Enablers: How the West Supports Kleptocrats and Corruption - Endangering Our Democracy __...

No guest this week, but in this episode we go over some of the misconceptions about the Afghan War we found in our Reddit AMA about a month ago. We elaborate on some of the questions we were asked and the answers we gave.  For more reports and findings about the War in Afghanistan, visit www.sigar.mil. _________________________________________   Where to Listen: Apple: https://bit.ly/theboardwalka...

Chris Rogers, former Green Beret and current badass, gives us his take on the end of the Afghan War. We discuss how it all fell apart when we decided to start building a nation. Additionally, Chris tells us what it means to be a good leader. You'll like this.  _________________________________________   Where to Listen: Apple: https://bit.ly/theboardwalkapple   Spotify: https://bit.ly/theboar...