About
In a series of chaotic events following the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, and the collapse of former President Ashraf Ghani government and security forces in the wake of rapid advances by the Taliban, the political landscape in the central Asian State has radically shifted. While the West has fixated on the evacuation of its own citizens, as well as those Afghans who have worked with foreign powers, questions about the effectiveness of 20 years of foreign intervention, including significant financial and technical investment into a new political and security apparatus, have surfaced. Moreover, the worrying reality of how to deal with the new Taliban government, given its brutal treatment of women and others during its former period in power from 1996-2001, has been a particularly difficult question, especially with the threats raised by external terror groups such as IS-K.
This event will provide a platform to discuss some of the missteps and failures that led to the collapse of the Ghani administration, the emerging security challenges in Afghanistan, and the major geopolitical impacts in the wider region. There will be particular emphasis on what the ramifications of the Taliban takeover will be for European nations, as well as how the EU should configure its ‘dealing with, but not officially recognising’ relationship with the Taliban.
Speakers
Amb. Roya Rahmani
Former Ambassador of Afghanistan to the US
Arnout Pauwels
Deputy Head of EU Delegation in Afghanistan
Sima Samar
Member of the UNSG High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement and Former Special Envoy of the President of Afghanistan and State Minister for Human Rights and International Affairs
Jean-Louis De Brouwer
Director of the European Affairs Program at the Egmont Institute
Wilson Fache
BIC Middle East Correspondent
Moderator
Shada Islam
BIC Senior Commentator on Geopolitics
