The West, the Taliban and the future of Afghanistan

Is continuing international engagement with the Taliban morally justifiable? This talk will argue against despair, looking at possible processes of engagement and how they can be designed to support the emergence of alternative publics inside Afghanistan.

Over 3 years into Taliban rule, the West has practically given up on Afghanistan, unable to decipher possible ways to engage with them. Freezing financial assets and imposing further sanctions will only intensify the devastating effect on the people of the country. The Taliban, meanwhile, continues to enforce draconian policies, likely to remain in power for the foreseeable future. 

A question worth asking is: is continuing international engagement with the Taliban morally justifiable? This talk will argue against despair, looking at possible processes of engagement and how they can be designed to support the emergence of alternative publics inside Afghanistan.

About the Speaker

Obaidullah Baheer is currently Visiting Fellow at the LSE South Asia Centre. He is  Adjunct Lecturer at the American University in Kabul, and Doctorand at The New School, New York, where he is conducting research on how the world might engage with Islamic groups (like the Taliban in Afghanistan) that come to power. He has published widely on transitional justice, civic engagement, democracy, and engagement with the Taliban. 

At the Centre, Obaidullah will be working on the impact of cultural codes on Taliban policies, if they are amenable to change, and what possible ways are available to engage with them.

Quhramaana Kakar is a peace activist & development practitioner, currently Visiting Fellow at the LSE Centre for Peace & Security. She is Founder & Director of Women for Peace & Participation, an organisation connecting the local to the global and the inclusion of women in decision-making about peace & security, providing platforms for communities in conflict regions and diaspora communities in UK and Europe. Quhramaana also advises policy-makers and politicians in Europe & the US on advocating for the rights of women & vulnerable communities, and on international intervention in Afghanistan.

Graeme Smith (via Zoom) is Senior Consultant at International Crisis Group focusing on Afghanistan, having spent extended periods in Afghanistan since 2005, including being Country Director for Afghanistan between 2012-15. He is the author of The Dogs Are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistan (2013), and won an Emmy Award for his 'Talking to the Taliban' video series in 2009.  

This event is in collaboration with the LSE South Asia Centre, and part of the UK-South Asia Network.

Image credit: EJ Woflson via unspash