logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2022
23m 47s

Girls interrupted: Afghanistan

The Economist
About this episode
When the Taliban resumed power, there were hopes that women might not be as excluded, repressed and abused as they were previously. Those hopes have faded. As smartphone sales plateau, tech giants are furiously searching for new platforms to conquer. Augmented and virtual reality are the new battlefields. And the rise of giga-everything: how the scale of science drives linguistic innovation. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
Party likes it 1959: Cuba in crisis
<p>The country’s Communist Party leadership continues to cling to old ideals amid on-again, off-again diplomacy with America—and the people’s suffering <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2025/11/18/cuba-is-heading-for-disaster-unless-its-regime-changes-drastically?ut ... Show More
23m 15s
Today
Trailer: Drum Tower
Gain a deeper understanding of China with Jeremy Page and Sarah Wu. <em>The Economist</em>’s China correspondents report from across the country and the places it influences beyond its borders. Jiehao Chen joins the discussion from London. This award-winning podcast takes on ever ... Show More
2 m
Yesterday
Wage against the machine: the distortions of minimum pay
<p>For decades governments have found minimum-wage rises a politically expedient means of redistribution. But the onward <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/11/20/why-governments-should-stop-raising-the-minimum-wage?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_so ... Show More
22m 16s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2022
Girls interrupted: Afghanistan
When the Taliban resumed power, there were hopes that women might not be as excluded, repressed and abused as they were previously. Those hopes <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/04/02/the-taliban-are-pushing-females-out-of-public-life?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio ... Show More
23m 47s
May 2023
Good, bad and ugly: the Taliban and Afghanistan
<p>Their return to rule is unequivocally bad for the country’s women and girls. But wholesale collapse has not come and some aspects of government have <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/05/01/life-under-the-rule-of-the-taliban-20?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podc ... Show More
29m 4s
Oct 2021
Winter is coming: Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis
<p>Two months after <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/10/23/the-taliban-find-themselves-on-the-wrong-side-of-an-insurgency?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the ... Show More
20m 48s
Jun 2023
The New Afghanistan, Through the Eyes of Three Women
<p><i>This episode contains descriptions of violence.</i></p><p>In the two years since the United States pulled out of Afghanistan, the Taliban has shut women and girls out of public life.</p><p>Christina Goldbaum, a correspondent in the Kabul bureau for The New York Times, trave ... Show More
40m 19s
Jan 2024
Afghan women grapple with the Taliban’s university ban, one year on
The Taliban banned women from attending universities in Afghanistan in December 2022, a move that the World Bank warns will hinder the country’s prospects for economic growth. We’ll hear from three women who share how the lack of educational opportunities has affected their lives ... Show More
7m 28s
Jan 2024
The Intelligence: Growing, no pains
<p>America seems to be in a best-of-worlds scenario: growth is <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/01/03/has-america-really-escaped-inflation?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous ... Show More
25m 13s
Aug 2021
Taliban 2.0
The Taliban last controlled Afghanistan 20 years ago. They may be more pragmatic now, but their ideology hasn’t changed. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices ... Show More
27m 33s
Aug 2022
One Thing: Afghanistan's New Crisis
This week marks one year since the United States military ended its 20-year war in Afghanistan, which culminated in chaos as the Taliban took control of the country. We reflect on what the last year has been like for the Afghan people as they prepare for a looming hunger crisis. ... Show More
16m 37s
May 2024
Swat off the press: Meta v Canada’s news ploy
<p>A bid to squeeze money from social-media platforms that link to news content has backfired: what was intended to help publishers is instead <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/05/16/canadas-law-to-help-news-outlets-is-harming-them-instead?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medi ... Show More
23m 40s
May 2024
The Intelligence: Going back to raid school
<p>A dramatic overnight raid in New York City was just one sign that protests at American universities are set <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/04/30/escalating-protests-expose-three-fault-lines-on-american-campuses?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast. ... Show More
27m 11s