APSA’s Human Rights Section Presents: Afghanistan & Human Rights Issues Webinar

Afghanistan & Human Rights Issues

American Political Science Association
Human Rights Section

April 15, 2022 11:00 am-12:30 pm U.S. Eastern Standard Time

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, brought an end to the twenty-year long occupation with significant consequences for Afghanistan and its people. Headlines focused on the likely impact of the withdrawal on the credibility of the U.S. and its allies, their security concerns and “war on terror” in the region, and the erosion of human rights under the Taliban rule, especially the freedoms of women and girls. Afghanistan became a major source of refugee again, and the humanitarian disaster that followed the withdrawal forced many governments and international organizations to be engaged with the Taliban government. Then, Afghanistan started to disappear from the news. This panel draws attention to the human rights issues that have been encountered by the Afghan people over time. With expertise in different areas, speakers will address the denial of the basic human right of citizenship to the peoples of Afghanistan by their successive governments, dependency on foreign powers, the U.S. engagement in the country as a part of its “containment of communism” and “war on terror” policies, instrumentalism in advancing women’s rights, alliances with various war lords, and the recent flow of refugees and asylum seekers.

Speakers

  • M. Nazif Shahrani, Professor of Anthropology, Central Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington
  • Suzy Hansen, Journalist, Instructor at Bard College, Contributing Writer for The New York Times Magazine
  • Zehra F. Kabasakal Arat, Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut
  • Orzala Nemat, Research Associate at School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
  • Elizabeth (Betty) Hanson, Professor Emerita of Political Science at the University of Connecticut, Volunteer at the Afghan Placement Assistance Program in Connecticut

Moderator

  • Mahmood Monshipouri, Professor of International Relations at San Francisco State University

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