Kim Barker summed up her six years covering the wars in the Middle East in five simple lessons that she says apply to her and to the United States’ strategy abroad.  

The former international correspondent for the Chicago Tribune spoke Monday at the Mike & Josie Harper Center. She shared her experiences covering wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Barker later wrote a book called “The Taliban Shuffle,” which was adapted into a film, “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” starring Tina Fey.  

While abroad, Barker spent her time in the middle of cities — often in dangerous pathways — learning about the causes and effects of the war. Barker had the ability to speak to government and military leaders, and analyzed the reason and strategy that the United States had for entering the war following the attacks of 9/11. Although she was overseas for around six years, Barker can summarize the lessons she gathered in five short thoughts

First, Barker stressed the importance of doing your research — something she claims the U.S. did not spend enough time on. The nation’s leaders never considered many factors, she said, such as misjudging Pakistan’s support of the Taliban, misunderstanding the tribal tensions, and trying to install new leaders that were as bad as the previous ones. 

Barker’s next lesson: Always adapt to the culture. Many times, Barker’s job was to simply hang out, observe and look for interesting stories. She realized that social norms are much different in Afghanistan, and she expressed immense thanks for her translator, Farouq, who taught her how to handle business and approach different issues.  

Barker shared the story of a particular example that made her feel ostracized from the culture. She was interviewing a prominent warlord and, during the interview, her only task was to sit there and wait until Farouq told her what was said in the conversation, because she could not understand the language. The warlord — wearing traditional Islamic dress and a stone-cold expression — asked Barker if she was afraid of him. Farouq asked Barker the question in English, to which she replied, “no.” However, knowing this would upset the warlord and wanting to ensure their safety, Farouq told the warlord that yes, she was terrified. Before this point, Barker never realized exactly how dangerous her surroundings could be. 

“At a certain point, it got dangerous. Everyone went behind their walls; nobody was going out and talking to Afghans,” said Barker of the mission. 

The only Americans in the street were the soldiers, who began to be motivated by body counts and killing to win the war. 

The United States also lacked a solid strategy when it came to picking new leaders for Afghanistan. One leader, who they initially supported, turned into what Barker described as  “a weather vane.” They become paranoid of suspicious activity, physically beating up opponents and firing close employees. Most of the time, the new leaders chosen by the U.S. were even worse than their predecessors.  

Barker’s fourth lesson: Know when to get out. During Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008, Obama focused heavily on Afghanistan as the “forgotten war,” saying the U.S. needed to do more and send in a surge of troops. However, Biden, (his running mate), wanted to pull out altogether and bomb from home ground. Obama’s compromise was to send in only 30,000 troops with promises to pull out in three years. This plan never came to fruition, leaving a huge question mark of what the next move should be. 

At this point in Barker’s time abroad, the Chicago Tribune announced it would be recalling all foreign correspondents. Barker — angry at this decision — decided it was time to leave and start her next adventure in New York. 

“I was so…angry with everything I saw,” Barker said. “I decided that I was going to quit and write a book proposal. I spent that summer writing and bartending at my friend’s Mexican bar.” 

That was when she gathered her fifth and final lesson: “Always have Tina Fey play you in a movie,” she joked, referring to “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” that hit theaters last month. One of the best things about the movie, Barker said, is that she was able to get Farouq his visa to enter the United States and attend the premiere with her. 

To conclude the speech, Barker answered questions from the crowd. When asked what the future of the U.S. and the Middle East looks like, Barker answered with positivity.  

“There’s an entire generation of people that have less war than ever before,” Barker said. “As long as we have a presence there, they have stability.”  

Barker believes that if the United States abandons Afghanistan, the country will return to a state of civil war. 

A student then asked Barker what college  kids could do, besides just being educated on the topic. Barker told a story of how generous and accepting the local people were in the Middle East, offering her food, drink and a place to stay. That experience made Barker question how Americans would have treated those people if they were to come to the U.S. and plead for help. 

“Just because people are a different religion — or from a different country — doesn’t mean they’re the ‘other,’” Barker said.  

The biggest thing college kids can do is pay attention to others. 

“The more you meet people from other cultures…the more we can all get along,” Barker concluded. 

Barker’s book is available online and at most book retailers; the movie is showing in select theaters. For more information, visit her website: www.kim-barker.com.  Barker’s talk was sponsored by the CU Program Board and the Creighton Edge.