America Abroad Media (AAMTV) and Tolo TV in Afghanistan present Pul – a weekly public interest program, recorded in the United States for broadcast throughout Afghanistan. In the Afghan language, Pul means "bridge." It represents the link between Afghans and Americans. Pul airs in primetime every Thursday in Afghanistan, reaching an estimated three quarters of a million people. The 30-minute program focuses on important issues in US-Afghan relations, while also introducing interesting segments on culture and society. Mariam Atash Nawabi, Afghan-American journalist, hosts this program.
To watch episodes from our first season, click here >
The Great Game
In a special series of episodes, Pul covers the Washington, DC premiere of "The Great Game" - a cycle of plays examining almost two hundred years of Western involvement in the culture and history of Afghanistan.
From the Shakespeare Theatre, host Mariam Atash Nawabi interviews the actors and director of "The Great Game" and discovers how the plays have changed their ideas about Afghan history.
The Great Game, Part 2
In the second episode, host Mariam Atash Nawabi learns more about the cultural celebrations surrounding the premiere – from a display of hand-made Afghan kites and an authentic marketplace, to a performance of traditional Afghan music and a fascinating exhibit displaying the work of Ed Grazda, a famed photographer who has visited Afghanistan for over thirty years.
Karzai Presidency
In recent months, President Karzai has faced increasing pressure to address corruption – from his controversial decision to release one of his top aides from jail to the ongoing financial crisis at Kabul bank and a widely criticized ban preventing private security contractors from operating within Afghanistan.
Host Mariam Atash Nawabi discusses these issues with Dr. Scherezade Rehman, a professor in international business and finance at The George Washington University; Brian Katulis, a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and Barmak Pazhwak, a program officer for the United States Institute of Peace (this segment in Dari).
A Policeman's Life
Afghan-Americans contribute to every sector of American society and none is more important than the key area of law enforcement.
Host Mariam Atash Nawabi sits down with Wyce Babar, an Afghan-American policeman in Prince George's County, Maryland for a behind the scenes look at police work and to discuss the day-to-day challenges of being a police officer.
Environment
Afghanistan was once known as “the orchard of Asia.” But its unique and vibrant ecosystem has been harmed by years of war and neglect, while droughts and pollution threaten the health and well-being of Afghanistan’s people.
Host Mariam Nawabi discusses ways to restore Afghanistan's environment with Joanne Trotter, director of programs at the Aga Khan Foundation USA; Bruce Freyer, director and co-founder of the Global Partnership for Afghanistan, an organization that works for the re-greening of Afghanistan and Kevin Gordon Barrow, a member of DC Green Muslims.
Afghan Cup
For thirteen years, the Afghan Sports Federation has brought Afghan-American athletes to the Washington, DC area to compete in four days of contests in soccer, volleyball, ping pong and basketball.
Host Mariam Atash Nawabi visits the final day of competition to talk to athletes and spectators and to learn some of the stories behind the quest for the championship. *PARTIALLY IN DARI.
Ramadan
PUL visits the home of an Afghan-American family in the Washington, DC area to learn how they observe Ramadan – from the preservation of Afghan traditions to prayers and the preparation of Iftar dinner.
Host Mariam Atash Nawabi also observes Friday prayers at a local mosque and interviews a Muslim youth group. *IN DARI.
Relations with India:
As the world's largest democracy and a country with a long history of cultural connections to the Afghan people, India has a key role to play in the rebuilding of Afghanistan.
Host Mariam Atash Nawabi sits down with Ambassador Dennis Kux; Lisa Curtis, a senior fellow on South Asia at the Heritage Foundation and Marvin Weinbaum, a scholar-in-residence at the Middle East Institute, to discuss the future of Indian-Afghan relations.
Protecting Afghanistan's Children
The nation of Afghanistan is young - with more than forty-three percent of the population under the age of fifteen. For many of these children, poverty, abuse and lack of an education have made a hopeful future seem far out of reach.
Host Mariam Atash Nawabi sits down with Reza Ashfar, founder and president of the Afghan Relief Fun.*This first interview is conducted in DARI; Roya Rahman, president of the Homaira Rahman Foundation and Lisa Laumann, vice president of child protection for Save the Children to discuss what can be done to improve the lives of Afghan children.
Former First Lady Laura Bush Laura W. Bush sat down with Pul host Mariam Atash Nawabi to discuss her enduring commitment to fighting for the rights of Afghan women and girls. As the only First Lady to visit Afghanistan, Mrs. Bush has been a longtime champion of education, improved maternal health and the right for Afghan women to work outside the home.
On this episode of Pul, Mrs. Bush reflects on her work in the White House and reveals how her projects in Afghanistan have continued long after her time in the national spotlight.
Entrepreneurship Summit in Washington DC
In last year's Cairo speech to the Muslim world, President Obama pledged to create a conference that would deepen trade and business ties between the Muslim world and the U.S. Pul reports from the U.S.-Muslim world Entrepreneurship Conference, where host Mariam Atash Nawabi spoke with delegates on how they developed their ideas, their businesses and their ability to succeed.
Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad
Host Mariam Atash Nawabi sits down with Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad to discuss his long career as a U.S. diplomat. From his time as an Afghan exchange student in California to his service as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Afghanistan and Iraq, Ambassador Khalilzad has been a key figure in the American foreign policy and Afghan-American communities.
Ambassador Khalilzad reflects on his role in the U.S. government after 9/11, his relationship with President Karzai and the future of the U.S.-Afghan relationship. *IN DARI.
Afghan American Doctors
AAM brings Pul into the field for a series of programs to highlight life in America for Afghan Americans. In this episode, host Mariam Nawabi talks to Afghan American doctors about the challenges and rewards of practicing medicine in the United States.
We take a first hand look at a surgery inside an operating room at the DC Veteran's Hospital, and follow an Afghan American student on rounds through the George Washington University Hospital Emergency Room.
Rule of Law and the US Justice System
Host Mariam Nawabi goes inside the D.C. Superior Court to understand the
system of justice in America. We talk with the Chief Judge of the DC
Superior Court about the importance of checks and balances, the role of a
jury, and the measures taken to prevent corruption within US courts.
We
also speak with an Afghan-American attorney whose experience as a refugee
inspired her to help others, and an American law professor who was inspired
as a peace corps volunteer in Afghanistan in the 1960s to practice
environmental law.
A Day in the Life of a Student
Host Mariam Nawabi visits the George Washington University campus to learn
more about the expectations, social life, and academic expectations of Afghan American college students. We chat with an international Muslim
student about the importance of education and her experiences adapting to
life in an American dorm. And we take you inside a classroom at American
University to hear what students are learning about the history and culture
of Afghanistan.
U.S. Public Opinion on Afghan Troops
A U.S. public opinion poll, taken in December by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, reported that 51% of Americans favor President Obama’s plan to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.
Mariam Nawabi discusses how these poll numbers affect presidential decision-making with Gayle Tzemach Lemmon,a journalist who has written for leading newspapers such as the New York Times Global Edition, the Financial Times, and the Christian Science Monitor; Carroll Doherty, the associate director at the Pew Center for Research on People and the Press and David Mark, the senior editor for Politico, a magazine and website covering American politics and campaigns.
Drug Addiction in Afghanistan
Afghanistan, the world’s leading producer of opium and heroin, has been notorious for its drug supply to Europe for decades. But in recent years, the excessive growth and production of these dangerous narcotics have led to an epidemic of drug addiction inside Afghanistan’s own borders.
Mariam Nawabi speaks with Dr. Nahid Aziz, Associate Professor in the Clinical Psychology Department at Argosy University in Washington; Thom Browne, the Deputy Director of the Office of Anti-crime Programs in the US State Department’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and Imam Bilal Ali, who wrestled with his own drug addiction, and is now counseling fellow Muslims on their own path to recovery.
