Afghanistan's Past, Canada's Role, and the Hotel That Witnessed it All | The Rundown

Before it was ruled by the Taliban, Kabul was known as the “Paris of Central Asia.” And at the centre of it all was the city’s first luxury hotel, the Intercontinental. Since it opened in 1969, it’s seen coups and wars. Liberation and re-occupation. Jeyan Jeganathan speaks to Lyse Doucet, chief international correspondent for the BBC, about her new book "The Finest Hotel in Kabul" and how looking at the history of a single building can be a window into the history of a nation.

0:00 – Intro
0:51 – Kabul before the wars: “Paris of Central Asia”
1:54 – Lyse’s reporting journey since 1988
2:56 – Afghanistan during the Cold War
3:28 – Why write this book now?
4:16 – Changing storytelling: Beyond snapshots of war
5:05 – Everyday courage and humor in dark times
5:30 – Toronto story: Inspiration from Truman Capote
7:01 – Weaving hardship and joy into the narrative
8:04 – Why the Intercontinental became the prism for history
9:03 – Hotel staff as first Afghan friends
9:48 – Hotel as a metaphor for resilience
10:00 – Reading a passage from the book
10:51 – How conflict became routine in Afghan life
11:03 – Afghanistan’s many political systems
13:12 – The hotel’s transformation through decades
14:26 – From elite luxury to frontline witness
15:06 – Hazrat’s story: Pride and survival
16:12 – Suicide bombings and shattered windows
16:40 – Memory as a weapon for those who lost everything
17:19 – Hazrat mimics wealthy tourists of the 70s
18:01 – Hospitality and pride despite hardship
19:02 – Afghan colleague’s role in telling the story
19:28 – 9/11 and its impact on Afghanistan
21:04 – Osama bin Laden as a hotel guest
22:52 – The fall of the Taliban and hope for peace
23:32 – Empathy as a theme in the book
24:00 – Social media vs. face-to-face journalism
25:05 – Journalism fundamentals remain unchanged
26:01 – Why journalism matters for democracy
26:50 – Was Canada’s mission in Afghanistan for nothing?
27:06 – A new generation of Afghans and lasting impact

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The Rundown is your nightly half-hour deep dive into just one headline. With host Jeyan Jeganathan, we’ll cover everything from housing and health care to climate and AI. We’ll break down why each topic matters, who’s living it, and what’s being done to make things better – starting right here in Ontario. Slow down. Tune in. Make sense of the moment. And tell us what you think.