Flash Panel: The Unfolding Situation in Afghanistan

Only four months after President Joseph Biden announced that the United States would withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, after a war stretching nearly 20 years, the Taliban took control of Kabul. 

The country faces an uncertain future, with new developments being reported daily. In this conversation, hear insights about events in recent weeks, what comes next in Afghanistan, the prognosis for human rights and women’s rights throughout the country, and the role of international actors and NGOs in navigating the current crisis. 

This panel was sponsored by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, with support from the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion and the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, all part of the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs. 

Panelists included:

• Introductory Remarks: Asher Kaufman, John M. Regan, Jr. Director, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies; Professor of History and Peace Studies
   
• Somaye Sarvarzade, Education Practitioner
   
• Salem Helali, President & CEO at Global Impact Management Consulting
   
• Lisa Schirch, Richard G. Starmann Sr. Visiting Professorship Chair in Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
   
• Mahan Mirza, Executive Director, Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion
   
• Laurie Nathan, Professor of the Practice of Mediation; Mediation Program Director, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
   
• Moderator: David Cortright, Director of the Global Policy Initiative and Special Advisor for Policy Studies, Keough School of Global Affairs; Professor Emeritus of the Practice

Originally published at kroc.nd.edu.