Issue 417 of New Internationalist

Reader-owned global journalism

November 2008

As the war in Afghanistan intensifies we ask Afghan writers and journalists how they see events unfolding and what they think their country needs to end decades of violent conflict.

Not surprisingly, what they have to say is rather different from the statements emanating from Western politicians and mainstream media pundits.

This month’s issue of the New Internationalist gives you a different - and more authentic - perspective on one of the world’s key issues. Not only are the articles written by Afghans, but the images too are the work of first-rate photographers and cartoonists from the country.

In this issue

Afghanistan on the edge
And the West acting like it knows best... again. Isn’t it time we listened to Afghans, asks Vanessa Baird?
Beyond the burqa
Sex, dating and the struggle for modernity, by Zuhra Bahman.
A brief history of Afghanistan
The fighting, the pain and the hunger for change
St Kitts and Nevis
Bamboo bikes
Bamboo is so tough and so plentiful it’s used for construction scaffolding all aver Asia. So why not use it to build bikes? It seemed like a good idea to design maestro Craig Calfee and to the Earth Institute at Columbia University in New York City. The two have teamed up to build better bikes for poor Africans in rural areas and stimulate the local bicycle industry in a number of African countries. The *NI* talked to Bamboo Bike Project co-ordinator and Columbia scientist *David Ho*.
Afghanistan - The Facts
The basics, conflict, aid & social equality in Afghanistan.
9/11 Contradictions
25 contradictions about that day in New York by *David Ray Griffin*
Pedal power
When it comes to the future, the car simply can't compete. *Chris Webb* charts the comeback of the people's best friend – the humble bicycle. And you can even make one out of bamboo.