A Year On: Current Events in Taliban Afghanistan

_About the Lecture_ This event was recorded live on September 8, 2022 at The Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C.. With one year going by after the Taliban’s seizure of Afghanistan, the fundamental question remains in the minds of the people most affected: is the Taliban able to bring stability to the nation and form a legitimate government in the country? A short introduction covering The Bonn Agreement (Post-9/11 and the U.S.’s sacrifices and achievements in Afghanistan) and The Doha Agreement (Failures of the peace process, the withdrawal of American forces, collapse of the Afghan government, and violent return of Taliban) will begin the lecture. The first part of this lecture will focus on “a blind spot in the world and a voiceless nation,” addressing questions of what happened to the government, the democratic institutions, and values that led to the culminating point of the Taliban’s takeover and their rule thus far? How has the Taliban behaved toward women; ethnic, religious, and political groups; and former members of government and ANDSF in the past year? Topics of unemployment, poverty, and the current security situation including the resurgence of ISIS and other terrorist groups’ activity over the past year will be discussed. The second part of the lecture will focus on the reaction of the Resistance forces in opposition to the Taliban, which includes former government members, and defense and security forces in their ranks. The final part of the lecture will address the salient question of whether the Taliban has fulfilled its end of the Doha Agreement’s commitments. These commitments can be categorized into three parts: the Taliban and its connection to international terrorist organizations; the establishment of a genuine Intra-Afghan peace process; and the Taliban’s (as a would-be legitimate governing entity) relationship with the surrounding region and its actors. The lecture will conclude with suggestions and solutions for the failings of the Taliban and their governing system in