Since March, when Iranian authorities ordered undocumented residents to leave the country, about 800,000 Afghans have poured across the border, Babar Baloch, a spokesman for the United Nations’ refugee agency, said on Monday. Almost 600,000 of them have been forced out since June 1.
During and since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last month, Iranian officials have repeatedly cast suspicion on Afghans as possible spies for Israel, amplifying longstanding rumors and tensions. In that environment, and with the approach of a July 6 deadline set by the Iranian government, the pace of migrations soared to an average of about 30,000 per day recently, peaking on Friday at more than 50,000 people crossing into Afghanistan, Mr. Baloch said.
Iran has ranked as the world’s biggest host country for refugees, with nearly 3.5 million according to the United Nations, primarily people who fled decades of war and violence in Afghanistan. Aid groups estimate that in reality, the Afghan population in Iran is much larger — including about two million refugees who are undocumented — and Iran’s patience with them appears to have run out.
....
The returnees, from urban professionals to day laborers, include many who were born in Iran, have never set foot in Afghanistan and are more attuned to Iranian culture and society than the more draconian rule of the Taliban, Mr. Jamal said.
“The big concern is what happens to these people. They are from this country but hardly of it,” Mr. Jamal said. “They are bewildered, disoriented and very sad at leaving their work or their lives in Iran.”
But their arrival also imposes a heavy strain on the resources and, potentially, the stability of communities in Afghanistan, where nearly half the population lives below the poverty line and millions go short of food. Afghanistan, with a population of about 44 million, has absorbed more than 3.5 million returnees since September 2023, U.N. officials say.
Strange to see iran described as more permissive than another place, but I guess everything is relative.... Poor Afghans just can't stop being innocent victims of geopolitics.
Strange to see iran described as more permissive than another place, but I guess everything is relative....
Poor Afghans just can't stop being innocent victims of geopolitics.
I'm inclined to see this as Iran refusing to internalize the costs that Trump has attempted to externalize; either to make Trump look bad, or because Trump is a convenient scapegoat. This is...
The United States previously accounted for about 40 percent of the refugee agency’s budget, but the Trump administration has slashed that support.
I'm inclined to see this as Iran refusing to internalize the costs that Trump has attempted to externalize; either to make Trump look bad, or because Trump is a convenient scapegoat.
This is assuming the Afghan population of Iran is a net negative for Iran, which is a very dubious claim, mind you. I'm speculating.
I guess but shouldn’t they know by now that nothing makes Trump look bad to Trump supporters, they’d probably all be happy if the entire population in the middle east just died over night
I guess but shouldn’t they know by now that nothing makes Trump look bad to Trump supporters, they’d probably all be happy if the entire population in the middle east just died over night
Iran doesn't care as much about the US audience as about the international audience - other sources of international aid. Also their domestic audience.
Iran doesn't care as much about the US audience as about the international audience - other sources of international aid. Also their domestic audience.
This is a horrible state of ignorance, but I realized that other than knowing where it is, I know basically nothing about Iran. I just have the vague idea that it's sandy. Any recommendations for...
This is a horrible state of ignorance, but I realized that other than knowing where it is, I know basically nothing about Iran. I just have the vague idea that it's sandy. Any recommendations for a good oveview history or podcast to gain some context?
To be honest, I have a pretty high level of ignorance about many places, so it may be hypocritical, but learning more about Iran feels important to understanding the geopolitics of our current moment.
You can try prisoners of geography and the power of geography by Tim Marshall. These are fairly decent books giving brief overviews of regions with regards to geography and geopolitics. While not...
You can try prisoners of geography and the power of geography by Tim Marshall. These are fairly decent books giving brief overviews of regions with regards to geography and geopolitics.
While not perfect it is a good introduction and can guide further research.
Seconding the Tim Marshall books for a good introduction to geopolitics. If you finish those and are still interested @first-must-burn, I can recommend some more in-depth or academic books based...
Seconding the Tim Marshall books for a good introduction to geopolitics. If you finish those and are still interested @first-must-burn, I can recommend some more in-depth or academic books based on my experience in my degree.
Edit: I might also recommend the two ‘What the Gulf’ videos by YouTube channel brain4breakfast (RIP) for another starter overview of the regions geopolitics
Also should mention that Iran is mostly mountainous, which dictates a lot of its geopolitics (though the country does include a desert)
The past is a different country as they say. Iran is nothing like the Persia of old. It may be better to start in more modern times with BP Oil leases with the Shah and the subsequent overthrow of...
The past is a different country as they say. Iran is nothing like the Persia of old.
It may be better to start in more modern times with BP Oil leases with the Shah and the subsequent overthrow of the Shah to understand why they're in the state they're in and why they hold grudges against the west.
Then as a jumping off point you can look into the reason their current state religion doesn't mesh well with the other Muslim states as Shiites and Sunni generally don't like each other.
You will also inevitably run into the difficult situation around Israel.
As always, contextualizing an entire country is difficult, sometimes ideologies are a product of a certain time period, longer history, cultural tendencies, or the actions of other nation states.
Being ignorant is not a problem, you're asking questions to learn more. Being willfully ignorant is different than not having learnt something yet.
Hey admitting ignorance towards a topic or place or whatever is the first step towards becoming more informed about it. I happen to really enjoy long-form video essay-style content; feels like I...
Hey admitting ignorance towards a topic or place or whatever is the first step towards becoming more informed about it.
I happen to really enjoy long-form video essay-style content; feels like I retain more info when it's presented to me with some videos and maps to accompany it. So Youtube channels like RealLifeLore are a godsend for this sort of stuff (world geography, history, and geopolitics, which are almost always inextricably linked). I know that books can get into more detail and sources and facts than a simple Youtube channel can, but a 20-40 minute video can show you a lot about a country and its overall vibe. So don't take everything you see in these videos as pure unadulterated fact, but in my opinion there's nowhere better to get the overall feel and basic history/geography of a country/region/place/thing in such a brief and digestible way.
https://archive.is/jTuj0
....
Strange to see iran described as more permissive than another place, but I guess everything is relative....
Poor Afghans just can't stop being innocent victims of geopolitics.
The point is to destabilize Afghanistan on purpose, right?
I'm inclined to see this as Iran refusing to internalize the costs that Trump has attempted to externalize; either to make Trump look bad, or because Trump is a convenient scapegoat.
This is assuming the Afghan population of Iran is a net negative for Iran, which is a very dubious claim, mind you. I'm speculating.
I guess but shouldn’t they know by now that nothing makes Trump look bad to Trump supporters, they’d probably all be happy if the entire population in the middle east just died over night
Iran doesn't care as much about the US audience as about the international audience - other sources of international aid. Also their domestic audience.
And give Russia another go at it?
This is a horrible state of ignorance, but I realized that other than knowing where it is, I know basically nothing about Iran. I just have the vague idea that it's sandy. Any recommendations for a good oveview history or podcast to gain some context?
To be honest, I have a pretty high level of ignorance about many places, so it may be hypocritical, but learning more about Iran feels important to understanding the geopolitics of our current moment.
You can try prisoners of geography and the power of geography by Tim Marshall. These are fairly decent books giving brief overviews of regions with regards to geography and geopolitics.
While not perfect it is a good introduction and can guide further research.
Seconding the Tim Marshall books for a good introduction to geopolitics. If you finish those and are still interested @first-must-burn, I can recommend some more in-depth or academic books based on my experience in my degree.
Edit: I might also recommend the two ‘What the Gulf’ videos by YouTube channel brain4breakfast (RIP) for another starter overview of the regions geopolitics
Also should mention that Iran is mostly mountainous, which dictates a lot of its geopolitics (though the country does include a desert)
The past is a different country as they say. Iran is nothing like the Persia of old.
It may be better to start in more modern times with BP Oil leases with the Shah and the subsequent overthrow of the Shah to understand why they're in the state they're in and why they hold grudges against the west.
Then as a jumping off point you can look into the reason their current state religion doesn't mesh well with the other Muslim states as Shiites and Sunni generally don't like each other.
You will also inevitably run into the difficult situation around Israel.
As always, contextualizing an entire country is difficult, sometimes ideologies are a product of a certain time period, longer history, cultural tendencies, or the actions of other nation states.
Being ignorant is not a problem, you're asking questions to learn more. Being willfully ignorant is different than not having learnt something yet.
Thanks for your kind words!
Hey admitting ignorance towards a topic or place or whatever is the first step towards becoming more informed about it.
I happen to really enjoy long-form video essay-style content; feels like I retain more info when it's presented to me with some videos and maps to accompany it. So Youtube channels like RealLifeLore are a godsend for this sort of stuff (world geography, history, and geopolitics, which are almost always inextricably linked). I know that books can get into more detail and sources and facts than a simple Youtube channel can, but a 20-40 minute video can show you a lot about a country and its overall vibe. So don't take everything you see in these videos as pure unadulterated fact, but in my opinion there's nowhere better to get the overall feel and basic history/geography of a country/region/place/thing in such a brief and digestible way.
For example.