An escalating crisis
The Taliban has rapidly taken over the country as US and NATO forces withdraw. What’s coming next in Afghanistan? And how should the United States and other powers respond?
Thu, Sep 9, 2021
Sanctions alone won’t tame the Taliban
The United States and its allies will need to wield both existing and new sanctions as strategically as possible, but changing the regime’s behavior will be difficult.
Fri, Sep 3, 2021
Pakistan and the Taliban 2.0: The good, the bad, and the ugly
The Taliban’s 11-day Blitzkrieg has left the entire world stunned. As the new government takes shape in Afghanistan, there are some good, some bad, and some ugly realities confronting the region, primarily Pakistan.
SouthAsiaSource by Rabia Akhtar
Thu, Sep 2, 2021
The US-Pakistan relationship in a new Afghanistan
Now that the American venture into Afghanistan is coming to be seen by some as a serious strategic failure, there is a strong temptation for US policymakers to find something, or someone, to blame.
SouthAsiaSource by
Wed, Sep 1, 2021
How to avoid another state-building failure after Afghanistan
Why did the United States continue a state-building policy after al-Qaeda was dismantled? And how can it learn to use force to negotiate the peaceful end to its next conflict?
New Atlanticist by Frank Ruggiero
Tue, Aug 31, 2021
US intel is now flying blind in Afghanistan
Good intelligence is all about people—which is why the president’s ‘over-the-horizon’ approach may fail.
New Atlanticist by
Mon, Aug 30, 2021
Experts react: The US withdrawal from Afghanistan is complete. What’s next?
What’s next for Afghanistan? How will evacuations proceed without the US military controlling Kabul airport? What’s next for the counterterrorism mission? How will other regional and global powers shape the country the United States leaves behind?
New Atlanticist by
Letter in support of the Afghan people by friends of Afghanistan
Strategic dialogues
The participants of the Atlantic Council / Rockefeller Brothers Fund Strategic Dialogues have been working for the past eight months to develop a long-term strategic outlook to promote stability in Afghanistan consistent with Afghan, US, and European interests and values. This group of distinguished European, American, and Afghan diplomats, military officers, scholars, and analysts brought to our deliberations a deep understanding of the context both on the ground and among the allies. We explored a diplomatic-security framework based on the minimal conditions and variables necessary to realize a long-term vision of a sovereign, unified, democratic, peaceful, and prosperous Afghanistan and generated recommendations to support this vision.
Thu, Apr 22, 2021
A transatlantic charter for peace and security in Afghanistan
The Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center presents the exclusive launch of the Transatlantic Charter on Afghanistan as part of the Strategic Dialogues on and with Afghanistan.
Feature by
Mon, Nov 23, 2020
Developing a long-term transatlantic framework for peace and security in Afghanistan
Between fall 2020 and summer 2021, the South Asia Center hosts a series of private, high-level strategic dialogues to develop and advocate for a longer-term strategic outlook to ensure stability in Afghanistan as well as maintaining US and European counter-terrorism interests.
Realities on the ground: Spotlighting Afghan voices
Wed, Aug 11, 2021
Ahmad Massoud: Look to local leaders to save Afghanistan
Just weeks before US troops fully withdraw from Afghanistan—and as Taliban fighters conquer more territory across the country—Ahmad Massoud says he is open to negotiations with the militants.
New Atlanticist by Kamal Alam
Mon, Aug 9, 2021
An interview with Afghanistan human rights defender Horia Mosadiq
Afghanistan human rights defender Horia Mosadiq provides an analysis of the current situation for human rights defenders and other civil society actors on the ground.
Interview by
Thu, Aug 5, 2021
Interview with Munira Yousefzada, former Afghan deputy minister of defense
Munira Yousefzada, former Afghan deputy minister of defense, joins Fariba Pajooh for an interview about the ongoing situation in Afghanistan and the peace process.
Interview by
Featured events
Tue, Aug 3, 2021
On the frontline: Protecting Afghanistan’s human rights defenders
Despite being on the receiving end of threats, harassment, intimidation, violence, and assassinations, Afghanistan’s human rights defenders continue to fight for the rights of Afghans. Join the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center for a discussion with some of Afghanistan’s leading human rights defenders and experts to explore what lies ahead for the activists who put their lives on the line to fight violence, impunity, and militancy.
SouthAsiaSource by
Mon, Jun 14, 2021
The importance of inclusivity in the Afghan peace process
The Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center and the Afghanistan Mechanism for Inclusive Peace (AMIP) host a conversation on the importance of an inclusive peace process in Afghanistan that truly reflects the people whom it represents.
SouthAsiaSource by
Tue, Jul 21, 2020
Event recap: “The role of victims in Afghanistan’s peace process”
On July 20, 2020 the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center hosted a panel discussion on the role of victims in Afghanistan’s peace process. Marika Theros, a nonresident senior fellow at the South Asia Center, moderated the discussion which was paneled by Shaharzad Akbar, Chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission; Sergio Jamarillo Caro, Former High Commissioner for Peace for Colombia; and Hadi Marifat, Executive Director of the Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization.
Event Recap by
Past events
Mon, Apr 5, 2021
Event recap: “Whose voices count on Afghanistan? The politics of knowledge production”
On April 1, 2021, the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center hosted an event on the politics of knowledge production in Afghanistan and how we can make the policy space more representative and reflective of the peoples, histories, and realities on the ground.
Event Recaps by
Mon, May 17, 2021
Event recap: “Understanding Russian and Iranian perspectives on the Afghan peace process”
On May 28, 2021, the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center, the Eurasia Center, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty hosted an event to discuss Russian and Iranian perspectives on the Afghan Peace Process.
Event Recap by
Sat, Jan 9, 2021
Event recap: “Women’s gains in Afghanistan: Supporting economic opportunities for Afghan women as a driver of peace and security”
On Thursday January 7, 2021, the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center partnered with the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council (USAWC) and the American Council on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) to host an event on women’s gains in Afghanistan, the critical role of Afghan women in Afghanistan’s peace and security, and the role of US actors in partnering with and empowering Afghan women.
Event Recap by
Flagship report
The South Asia Center serves as the Atlantic Council’s focal point for work on the region as well as relations between these countries, neighboring regions, Europe, and the United States.
