Pragmatic Engagement with Afghanistan

The Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies and the Columbia Global Centers present:

Pragmatic Engagement with Afghanistan: Can the International Community Promote Human Rights?

Friday, September 22, 2023

2:30pm-4:30pm

Garden Room 1, Faculty House

Register for Webinar Here.

With Experts:

Aref Dostyar, Senior Advisor for the Afghanistan Program for Peace and Development (AfPAD), University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies

Sibghatullah Ghaznawi, Associate Research Scholar, SIWPS; Former Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs, Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Hosna Jalil, Former Deputy Minister of Interior, Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Moderated by Dipali Mukhopadhyay, SIWPS Affiliate; Senior Expert on the Afghanistan Peace Process at the United States Institute of Peace; Associate Professor, University of Minnesota

In the two years since the fall of the republic in Afghanistan and victory of the Taliban, the Taliban has consolidated its power and increased its control over the political, economic and social aspects of life in the country. A visible challenge of the current relationship of the Taliban with the international community is that they lack an understanding of their capacity to influence and persuade the other side to concede from its stance, and both sides are waiting to see the other side retreat from its position. Importantly, the people of Afghanistan, specifically women and minorities, are losing during this patience game. This panel discussion will explore the decision and policy making environment of the Taliban, and mechanisms of influencing this environment that will encourage positive policy steps by the Taliban for the rights of women, children, and minorities.