Muhammad Tahir
@tahirmuh.bsky.social
Sr. Fellow @AtlanticCouncil | Words in @MSNBC, @Newsweek, | Ex-journalist turned media strategist | Posted across 4 continents | Fluent in 12 languages
I’ve seen what happens when #USAID shows up—and what’s left when it disappears. This is how its dismantling is playing out on the ground—one town, one clinic, one life at a time. My latest for @msnbc.com: www.msnbc.com/msnbc/amp/rc...
Trump's administration is ending USAID — and it’s costing girls and women their lives
Ending USAID could lead to the deaths of 14 million people over the next five years, an analysis from a medical journal predicts.
www.msnbc.com
July 12, 2025 at 9:48 PM
I’ve seen what happens when #USAID shows up—and what’s left when it disappears. This is how its dismantling is playing out on the ground—one town, one clinic, one life at a time. My latest for @msnbc.com: www.msnbc.com/msnbc/amp/rc...
My @msnbc.com piece discusses how Kari Lake’s actions weakened Donald Trump’s influence in Iran and, in doing so, handed a major advantage to authoritarian disinformation networks there. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/amp/rc...
Kari Lake made a mistake dismantling Voice of America. The Iran conflict proves it.
Before the conflict between Israel and Iran broke out, President Donald Trump and Kari Lake helped dismantle this pillar of soft power in the region.
www.msnbc.com
June 27, 2025 at 11:06 PM
My @msnbc.com piece discusses how Kari Lake’s actions weakened Donald Trump’s influence in Iran and, in doing so, handed a major advantage to authoritarian disinformation networks there. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/amp/rc...
Every year, hundreds of thousands of Central Asian migrants come to Russia in search of work—not war. Now, many are dying on the front lines in Ukraine. Coerced, deceived, and too often forgotten. My latest for the Atlantic Council www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-at...
Russia’s shadow army: Central Asian migrants are dying in Ukraine
Russia has recruited or coerced thousands of Central Asian migrants to fight for Moscow in its war against Ukraine.
www.atlanticcouncil.org
June 20, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Every year, hundreds of thousands of Central Asian migrants come to Russia in search of work—not war. Now, many are dying on the front lines in Ukraine. Coerced, deceived, and too often forgotten. My latest for the Atlantic Council www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-at...
Check out my latest @msnbc.com commentary on how press freedom is under assault at home and abroad—and why dismantling the U.S. international broadcaster is central to that fight. www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Opinion | Donald Trump is killing the free press — at home and abroad
For those of us who’ve spent our careers defending truth in some of the world’s most repressive media environment, Kari Lake's recent announcement was a gut punch.
www.msnbc.com
May 9, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Check out my latest @msnbc.com commentary on how press freedom is under assault at home and abroad—and why dismantling the U.S. international broadcaster is central to that fight. www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Had a great conversation with @Alex Raufoglu for @kyivpost.com on Russia’s disinformation campaign in Ukraine—especially as the U.S. retreats from the global media stage. Take a look: www.kyivpost.com/post/52086
Russian Disinformation ‘Flooding Ukraine’ Amid US Absence, Experts Warn
“Any nail in the coffin of the counter disinformation industry is a win for countries like Russia,” an American disinformation expert told Kyiv Post.
www.kyivpost.com
May 6, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Had a great conversation with @Alex Raufoglu for @kyivpost.com on Russia’s disinformation campaign in Ukraine—especially as the U.S. retreats from the global media stage. Take a look: www.kyivpost.com/post/52086
Just getting started on this platform—and what better way to kick things off than by sharing my piece own for @msnbc.com
OPINION from Muhammad Tahir:
Afghans who helped the U.S. fight the Taliban should not be deported to Afghanistan
Afghans who helped the U.S. fight the Taliban should not be deported to Afghanistan
Opinion | The U.S. deporting these allies to Afghanistan would be an unforgivable betrayal
The Trump administration claims Afghans in the U.S. under temporary protected status no longer meet the threshold for protection.
www.msnbc.com
May 5, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Just getting started on this platform—and what better way to kick things off than by sharing my piece own for @msnbc.com
Reposted by Muhammad Tahir
NEW @msnbc.com: Muhammad Tahir on the US Agency for Global Media terminating a federal grant putting many Voice of America staff on leave:
“Instead of continuing to promote free information and democracy, America is handing those authoritarian regimes exactly what they want.”
Read: bit.ly/4j187s9
“Instead of continuing to promote free information and democracy, America is handing those authoritarian regimes exactly what they want.”
Read: bit.ly/4j187s9
Opinion | Trump's decision to cut Radio Free Europe comes at a great cost to democracy
The U.S. Agency for Global Media terminated Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty's federal funding grant and placed the vast majority of Voice of America staff on administrative leave.
bit.ly
March 24, 2025 at 4:38 PM
NEW @msnbc.com: Muhammad Tahir on the US Agency for Global Media terminating a federal grant putting many Voice of America staff on leave:
“Instead of continuing to promote free information and democracy, America is handing those authoritarian regimes exactly what they want.”
Read: bit.ly/4j187s9
“Instead of continuing to promote free information and democracy, America is handing those authoritarian regimes exactly what they want.”
Read: bit.ly/4j187s9