I completed my research for “WAR: The Afterparty” with a trip to Iraq in January. While I found most of my lodging for my round the world journey through Expedia, Airbnb and Lonely Planet, I came across generous Couchsurfing hosts in Afghanistan and Vietnam. And that’s where I encountered Samir Barznjy, a 31-year old surgeon and […]
Army, Erbil, Iraq, Iraqi, Kurd, Kurdish, Mosul, Peshmerga, War, War: The Afterparty
From the National Priorities Project: A useful set of charts from the National Priorities Project. 54% of discretionary spending is military. That doesn’t include numerous spending areas from homeland security to veteran’s benefits which, by some estimates bring total spending close to one trillion dollars. Veteran’s benefits account for $10 billion per year more than […]
Brian Gruber, budget, military spending, War, War: The Afterparty
Read Part One of the interview at http://briangruber.tumblr.com/post/109933161004/kabuls-white-hat-hacker-on-afghan-cybersecurity “X” is a cybersecurity and programming staffer in the Afghan government. We agreed to meet for pizza near Shar-e-Naw Park and to keep his identity anonymous in the interview. He is known in Kabul IT circles as a ‘White Hat Hacker.’ This interview was transcribed by Afterparty editor […]
Afghanistan, Brian Gruber, Hacker, Islam, IT, Kabul, Lycée Esqetlal, Suicide Bombing, Taliban, War, War: The Afterparty, white hat
I worked with Shahid Butt at Charter Cable years ago, a smart, congenial fellow and accomplished marketer. As I posted interviews from my swing through the Islamic world, and pointed remarks about Pakistan’s role in the emergence of the Taliban, he offered some unique insights. I talked with Shahid over Skype one night from my […]
Afghanistan, Brian Gruber, Islam, Kabul, Koran, Mohammed, Pakistan, Quran, Shahid Butt, Taliban, War, War: The AfterpartyWhile in Kabul doing research for “War: The Afterparty,” I was approached via Facebook by “X,” a cybersecurity expert and programming staffer in the Afghan government. We agreed to meet for pizza near Shar-e-Naw Park and to keep his identity anonymous in the interview. When I mentioned our meeting to the head of a prominent […]
Afghanistan, Brian Gruber, cybercrime, cybersecurity, hack, Hacker, Kabul, War, War: The Afterparty
On my way from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, I taught English to the delightful students of the CPOC orphanage in Prey Nheak village.
Brian Gruber, Cambodia orphanage, CPOC, Takeo Province, War, War: The AfterpartyA lot of the old leftie conspiracy theories that used to impress our girlfriends in high school turned out to be true, with a little help from the Freedom of Information Act. I visited the Gulf of Tonkin this week as I worked my way down the Vietnam Coast from Hanoi. The incident that got […]
French, Gruber, Tonkin, Vietnam, War“The most impressive thing is how willing Afghans are to learn,” says Mina, tucking into a full plate of breakfast. She is 30ish, perfectly made up, with distinctive Afghan features and a North American (Canadian) accent. “With Americans, they hated listening to me. I was treated like a child. Afghans go into training workshops and […]
Afghanistan, Alyssa, animal sanctuary, Ben, Boy Scouts, Brian Gruber, Courtney, Farshid, Girl Scouts, Kabul, Lycée Esteqlal, Mina, PARSA, War, War: The AfterpartyWe want to feel alive. Being in the midst of thousands of singing, chanting, passionate partisans has its own brilliant joy. We gather today to welcome back Vojislav Seselj, hero, murderer, Serbian patriot, war criminal, martyr, a leader of men. The Saturday rally starts at noon and the crowd is roaring as I approach Belgrade’s […]
Belgrade, Brian Gruber, Republic Square, Serbia, Seselj, War, War: The AfterpartyWhat do you expect someone to say when asked about being under bombardment for months? That a major European city could be bombed for months in this day and age (1999). The stories are heartrending, visceral, charged, defensive, pained. Similar to American denials of CIA overthrows in Guatemala, Iran, the Congo, etc., until the Freedom […]
Belgrade, Brian Gruber, Marijana, Serbia, Tito, War, War: The Afterparty