Intelligence Squared

Afghanistan After The Withdrawal: What Lessons Have We Learned?

Aug 17, 2022

Shabnam Nasimi, a UK Home Office policy advisor and founder of Conservative Friends of Afghanistan, joins veterans of Afghan reporting Jeremy Bowen from the BBC and filmmaker Paul Mason. They discuss the profound humanitarian crisis in post-withdrawal Afghanistan, highlighting the struggles of women and children amid Taliban rule. The guests analyze the impact of the chaotic withdrawal on Afghan institutions, the urgent need for international response, and the lessons learned on governance and human rights following two decades of foreign involvement.

01:07:48

Episode guests

Paul Mason

Jeremy Bowen

Shabnam Nasimi

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Aftermath of the Taliban Takeover

23min

Afghanistan's Crisis: Lessons from the Taliban Takeover

8min

The Humanitarian Crisis in Post-Withdrawal Afghanistan

5min

The Downfall of Afghan Institutions: Corruption and Consequences

2min

Strategic Engagement in Post-Withdrawal Afghanistan

8min

Women's Rights and Governance in Post-War Afghanistan

16min

Engaging Afghanistan: The Importance of Soft Power and Human Stories

2min

One year ago the United States decided to withdraw from Afghanistan after two decades in the country. The Taliban, a militant Islamist group that ran most of Afghanistan in the late 1990s, swept to power without much resistance from the Afghan army and captured Kabul on August 15 2021. The debacle left Western governments humiliated and ordinary Afghans afraid. What responsibility do countries like Britain and the United States have for the current crisis? To discuss these issues our host the journalist and broadcaster Manveen Rana is joined by Shabnam Nasimi, Policy Advisor to the U.K Home Office, BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen, and Paul Mason, the journalist, writer and film-maker.

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