Jere Van Dyk

Journalist; Carnegie Council Senior Fellow, 2006-2009

Jere Van Dyk is a journalist and author. He is currently a consultant on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and al-Qaeda for CBS News. In 2008, Van Dyk was captured and imprisoned by the Taliban in the no-man's-land between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He tells the story of his 45-day ordeal in his book, Captive (2010). In 1981, while working as a correspondent for The New York Times, Van Dyk lived with the mujahideen as they battled the Soviet Army. His articles in The New York Times, which included a three-part story in the paper's Sunday magazine, were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He later wrote In Afghanistan, a book on his experiences during that journey. In 2001, Mr. Van Dyk, working as a free-lance correspondent, covered the war in Afghanistan and the murder of Daniel Pearl.

Van Dyk has written for many publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and National Geographic. He has traveled in Afghanistan and other countries in the region since the 1970s and reported on them for CBS News (both radio and television), CNN, National Public Radio, and other broadcast organizations.

Featured Work

Captive: My Time as a Prisoner of the Taliban

JUL 2, 2010 Podcast

Captive: My Time as a Prisoner of the Taliban

Journalist Jere Van Dyk tells of his decades-long involvement with Afghanistan, and gives a harrowing account of his 2008 kidnapping and imprisonment by the Taliban in ...

MAY 18, 2007 Podcast

Jere Van Dyk Discusses Afghanistan

Jere Van Dyk talks about Afghanistan past and present, the resurgence of the Taliban, and the possible whereabouts of Osama bin Laden.

MAY 18, 2007 Transcript

Jere Van Dyk Discusses Afghanistan

Jere Van Dyk talks about Afghanistan past and present, the resurgence of the Taliban, and the possible whereabouts of Osama bin Laden.

DEC 20, 2006 Article

Van Dyk Diary: Khost, Southeast Afghanistan

Despite an American military presence here, the Taliban are back and Khost is more dangerous than it was a few years ago. There are suicide ...

DEC 18, 2006 Article

Van Dyk Diary: Baluchistan, Pakistan

Baluchistan borders on Afghanistan and Iran. In the past it was a haven for the Mujahideen; now it harbors the Taliban and perhaps ...

Bolan Pass, Baluchistan, Pakistan. Photo by Sheryaar.

DEC 18, 2006 Article

ROUNDTABLE: Baluchistan and the War on Terror

Is the rugged province of Baluchistan a haven for al-Qaeda and the Taliban? How do Pakistanis and Afghans view the situation there?

Kabul, Afghanistan <br>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28894487@N00/305012234/" target="_blank">Arash Absalan</a>

NOV 30, 2006 Article

Van Dyk Diary: Kabul, November 2006

Jere Van Dyk reports on the current situation in Kabul, describing the changes since his first visit in 1970.

Entering Pakistan at the Torkham crossing from Afghanistan.<br>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/49441269@N00/174080935/" target="_blank">mbiturbo</a>

NOV 20, 2006 Article

Van Dyk Diary: Islamabad, Karachi, and Peshawar

Jere Van Dyk reports on the mood in Pakistan and the situation in the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, scene of several aerial attacks ...

Coloured textiles in Rue Semarine, Marrakech <br>Photo by Martin Dady

NOV 5, 2006 Article

Van Dyk Diary: Marrakech, Past and Present

Morocco is a Muslim country, but Marrakech is to Europe what Acapulco or Cancun is to Americans: an exotic, safe tourist destination in the sun, ...

Street Scene in Peshawar, Pakistan. <br>Photo by Maxence Tombeur

OCT 18, 2006 Article

Van Dyk Diary: Ramadan in Peshawar

Jere Van Dyk returns to his old haunts in Peshawar and is awed by the faith that permeates life there. Yet violence is just beneath ...