The US is detangling itself from two wars that have taken its toll on the American people as well as the civilians where US troops are fighting. President Obama wants to get out of both Iraq and Afghanistan and leave those countries to govern themselves. But years of foreign intervention and aid have left these countries dependent on the West. What is happening in Iraq and what will happen in Afghanistan once the troops stop combat? How can we as Americans help the citizens of these countries without “saving” them?

Fariba Nawa, an award-winning Afghan-American journalist, covers a range of issues and specializes in immigrant and Muslim communities in the United States and Abroad. She is a correspondent based in the San Francisco Bay Area but frequently travels to the Middle East and South Asia. She lived and reported in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2007 and witnessed the US-led war against the Taliban and al Qaeda. She has also reported from Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt and Germany. She has a Master’s in Middle Eastern Studies and Journalism and speaks Persian/Farsi and Arabic.