We know what war means, and we know what poverty means. We need to develop a better model for reaching out to the world than we have.

I think most good poetry is about suffering; I think that's what underlies the love in these landays pieces - suffering and longing.

The future of Afghanistan is incredibly dark, and decisions are happening incredibly quickly.

I worked with two young women translators. One died and the other received a death threat from the Taliban.

I was examining what religious identity meant in Africa. Along the edge of the Islamic world, what patterns were shaping identity? And the truth is, when I looked at the rise of violent forms of religion, no single identity was prevalent. It's central to note that in Nigeria, that tree is rooted primarily in Christianity. It's not just Islamic militants in the Middle Belt.

Poetry is a popular genre in Afghanistan. If you turned on the radio, there would be a poetry program that would be as popular as The Real Housewives.

I was surprised by the level of sophistication of the Special Operation forces. Among them were anthropologists and PhD candidates. I felt because I understand the patterns of nineteenth-century jihad in West Africa that I was definitely going to be more advanced than they were in comprehending what the militant rallying cry was.