Afghanistan: December 2011 - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic “The Marines of Team 1, Border Adviser Team 1, provided support during Operation Eagle Hunt under harsh conditions. Day one of the operation started off for the Marines with a three-mile trek through sandy plains before reaching a compound they would later call home for the majority of the mission. The team’s mission was to provide support for the Afghan Border Police and Afghan Uniformed Police, who spearheaded the operation. (USMC/Cpl. Marco Mancha)”

Afghanistan: December 2011 - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic “The Marines of Team 1, Border Adviser Team 1, provided support during Operation Eagle Hunt under harsh conditions. Day one of the operation started off for the Marines with a three-mile trek through sandy plains before reaching a compound they would later call home for the majority of the mission. The team’s mission was to provide support for the Afghan Border Police and Afghan Uniformed Police, who spearheaded the operation. (USMC/Cpl. Marco Mancha)”

20 Years Since The Fall of the Soviet Union - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic “Hundreds of thousands of protesters pack Moscow’s Manezh Square next to the Kremlin, on March 10, 1991, demanding that Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and his fellow Communists give up power. The crowd, estimated at 500,000, was the biggest anti-government demonstration in the 73 years of since the Communists took power, and came a week before the nationwide referendum on Gorbachev’s union treaty. (AP Photo/Dominique Mollard)” Hard to believe it’s 20 years since the fall of the USSR on December 25, 1991.

20 Years Since The Fall of the Soviet Union - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic “Hundreds of thousands of protesters pack Moscow’s Manezh Square next to the Kremlin, on March 10, 1991, demanding that Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and his fellow Communists give up power. The crowd, estimated at 500,000, was the biggest anti-government demonstration in the 73 years of since the Communists took power, and came a week before the nationwide referendum on Gorbachev’s union treaty. (AP Photo/Dominique Mollard)”

Hard to believe it’s 20 years since the fall of the USSR on December 25, 1991.

Deadly Tropical Storm Washi - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic “A woman holds the dead body of her child who was killed during floods caused by Tropical Storm Washi at a village in Iligan City, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, on December 17, 2011. (Cherryl Vergeire/AFP/Getty Images)” So much tragedy exists in this world.

Deadly Tropical Storm Washi - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic “A woman holds the dead body of her child who was killed during floods caused by Tropical Storm Washi at a village in Iligan City, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, on December 17, 2011. (Cherryl Vergeire/AFP/Getty Images)”

So much tragedy exists in this world.

Kim Jong Il, 1942-2011 - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic “A South Korean Army soldier uses binoculars to watch Northern side after news reporting about the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at a guard post in the demilitarized zone between South and North Korea in Goseong, South Korea, on December 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Korea)” Still technically at war, I pray for peace and the liberation of the people of North Korea.

Kim Jong Il, 1942-2011 - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic “A South Korean Army soldier uses binoculars to watch Northern side after news reporting about the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at a guard post in the demilitarized zone between South and North Korea in Goseong, South Korea, on December 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Korea)”

Still technically at war, I pray for peace and the liberation of the people of North Korea.

Afghanistan: A Video Portrait - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic

“The film lasts just under six minutes, so I invite you to take a few moments, relax, start the video in fullscreen mode, and let Lukas and Salome Augustin take you on a beautiful visit to the Hindu Kush. This entry is part of an ongoing monthly series on Afghanistan. “

More Texas Wildfires - In Focus - The Atlantic “Remnants of a burned out home off Highway 71 near Bastrop, Texas as a series of large wildfires continue to burn on September 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Erich Schlegel)”

More Texas Wildfires - In Focus - The Atlantic “Remnants of a burned out home off Highway 71 near Bastrop, Texas as a series of large wildfires continue to burn on September 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Erich Schlegel)”

Afghanistan: August 2011 - In Focus - The Atlantic “An Afghan girl greets a joint patrol of US troops from the Charlie Company, 2-87 Infantry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team and Afghan National Army soldiers at Kandalay village in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, on August 8, 2011. (Romeo Gacad/AFP/Getty Images)”

Afghanistan: August 2011 - In Focus - The Atlantic “An Afghan girl greets a joint patrol of US troops from the Charlie Company, 2-87 Infantry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team and Afghan National Army soldiers at Kandalay village in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, on August 8, 2011. (Romeo Gacad/AFP/Getty Images)”