After years of critique from local female activists, why did one of the most powerful media platforms for women’s empowerment, Tina Brown’s The Daily Beast, preclude the more meaningful ways to understand the complex lives of women in Afghanistan and Pakistan? Their recent summit in New York City featured a discussion titled “On the Brink: Women in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” which embodied longstanding critiques of how gender and women’s oppression in areas of strategic U.S. interest are problematically framed within western contexts. A deeper analysis can help ensure that their messages are not overlooked.
