Lynne O’Donnell

Lynne O’Donnell is a columnist at Foreign Policy and an Australian journalist and author. She was the Afghanistan bureau chief for Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press between 2009 and 2017.

Articles by Lynne O’Donnell
Mahbouba Seraj, a journalist and women's rights activist in Afghanistan.
Mahbouba Seraj, a journalist and women's rights activist in Afghanistan.

A Nobel Nominee’s Controversial Call for Engagement With the Taliban This article has an audio recording

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell
A Taliban fighter stands guard as women wait in a queue during a World Food Program cash distribution in Kabul.
A Taliban fighter stands guard as women wait in a queue during a World Food Program cash distribution in Kabul.

Taliban ‘Men-Only’ Aid Edict Divides Charity Community

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell
Afghan boys stand in a queue as they wait to receive food aid from a nongovernmental organization in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Afghan boys stand in a queue as they wait to receive food aid from a nongovernmental organization in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The Taliban Are Losing Some of Their Cash Cows

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell
Volunteers label a shipment of humanitarian aid to be sent to Afghanistan at Bahrain International Airport on Muharraq Island on Sept. 4, 2021.
Volunteers label a shipment of humanitarian aid to be sent to Afghanistan at Bahrain International Airport on Muharraq Island on Sept. 4, 2021.

The Taliban Are Abusing Western Aid

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell
Taliban security personnel stands guard at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Taliban security personnel stands guard at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

The Taliban Can’t Win Friends or Influence People

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell
Fiona Frazer speaks next to Markus Potzel in Kabul.
Fiona Frazer speaks next to Markus Potzel in Kabul.

U.N. Calls Ambassadors for Meeting With Taliban in Kandahar

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell
Security officials place flowers on the coffin of a police officer who was killed in an ambush in Pakistan.
Security officials place flowers on the coffin of a police officer who was killed in an ambush in Pakistan.

Pakistani Taliban Go to War While People March for Peace

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell
Pakistan's incumbent Army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, waves during the Pakistan Super League cricket match between Islamabad United and Multan Sultans at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Pakistan's incumbent Army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, waves during the Pakistan Super League cricket match between Islamabad United and Multan Sultans at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Pakistan’s Real Political Choice Could Come This Week

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks while taking part in an anti-government march.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks while taking part in an anti-government march.

Is Imran Khan Pakistan’s Comeback Kid?

Insider
Lynne O’Donnell
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif delivers a speech at the 27th U.N. Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Nov. 8.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif delivers a speech at the 27th U.N. Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Nov. 8.

Pakistan Leads Charge for Climate Justice at COP27

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell
Taliban soldiers stand guard as men imprisoned for using drugs sit in a courtyard prior to being released from Kandahar Central Jail.
Taliban soldiers stand guard as men imprisoned for using drugs sit in a courtyard prior to being released from Kandahar Central Jail.

Despite ‘Ban’ on Opium, Afghanistan’s Poppy Crop Is Growing

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell
Afghan National Army soldiers train.
Afghan National Army soldiers train.

Russia’s Recruiting Afghan Commandos

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell
An Afghan woman and her son walk through the National Conference Center.
An Afghan woman and her son walk through the National Conference Center.

Many Afghan Refugees Are Still Without a Place to Call Home

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell
Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban uprising forces rest.
Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban uprising forces rest.

Afghan Resistance Leaders See ‘No Option’ but War

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell
A money-changer holds afghani banknotes.
A money-changer holds afghani banknotes.

Biden to Drip-Feed Afghanistan Its $3.5 Billion in Frozen Reserves

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell
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