After the Taliban’s return to power on August 15, 2021, women in Afghanistan are treated as second-class citizens, systematically stripped of their rights. Over eighty decrees issued by the Taliban confine women to their homes and ban girls from attending school, turning Afghanistan into a prison for women and girls.

This gender apartheid is reinforced by new educational curricula and severe restrictions on women’s participation in every aspect of society. Women’s protests against these injustices have been met with harsh repression, including imprisonment, torture, and accusations of being influenced by foreign entities.

Inside the Taliban’s gender apartheid, a joint project of the Civic Engagement Project and the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center, highlights the stories of women who have courageously resisted these injustices—women who have endured imprisonment and brutality for their peaceful demands for basic rights. By refusing to remain silent and shedding light on the violence they face, their testimonies serve as evidence in the fight for justice.

The women who have survived this regime are now calling for international recognition of the Taliban’s gender apartheid as a crime against humanity. This recognition would not only validate their suffering but could also challenge the Taliban’s grip on power and pave the way for transitional justice, offering a potential path to healing and justice for Afghan women and girls. 

The South Asia Center is the hub for the Atlantic Council’s analysis of the political, social, geographical, and cultural diversity of the region. ​At the intersection of South Asia and its geopolitics, SAC cultivates dialogue to shape policy and forge ties between the region and the global community.

Content

In the News

Dec 25, 2021

Fontenrose quoted in RadioFreeEurope on the rivalry between regional powers to fill the power vacuum in Afganistan

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Conflict

In the News

Dec 17, 2021

Kroenig and Ashford reflect on US foreign policy in 2021 and debate the year ahead

By Atlantic Council

On December 17, Foreign Policy published a biweekly column featuring Scowcroft Center deputy director Matthew Kroenig and New American Engagement Initiative senior fellow Emma Ashford assessing the latest news in international affairs. In their last column of 2021, they reflect on major foreign policy events that shaped the year, debate the limits of US power and leadership, […]

Afghanistan Arms Control

SouthAsiaSource

Dec 14, 2021

Will Afghanistan become another Somalia, Yugoslavia, or Medellin?

By Javid Ahmad

With no regional consensus on the way forward, the mixed dangers of Afghanistan morphing into another Somalia, or breaking into a loose confederacy of statelets like the former Yugoslavia, or becoming the next drug-replete Medellin is not a distant possibility.  

Afghanistan Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Dec 13, 2021

Afghanistan is about to collapse. Here’s what the US must do about it.

By John F. Campbell, Ryan Crocker, James Cunningham, James Dobbins, Hugo Llorens, P. Michael McKinley, John Nicholson, Ronald E. Neumann, Richard Olson, David Petraeus, and Earl Anthony Wayne

Eleven former US ambassadors and commanders issue an urgent warning to Washington and its allies.

Afghanistan Civil Society

In the News

Dec 12, 2021

Rothschild quoted in TIME on the state of US alliances amid Biden’s G20 and COP26 participation

On October 28, nonresident senior fellow Amanda Rothschild was quoted in TIME discussing how US withdrawal from Afghanistan affected longstanding US alliances.

Afghanistan Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Dec 7, 2021

Rothschild on vulnerable Afghans left behind following US withdrawal from Afghanistan

By Atlantic Council

On September 21, Newsweek published an op-ed by Atlantic Council nonresident senior fellow Amanda Rothschild criticizing the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and highlighting the vulnerability of Afghans unable to evacuate.

Afghanistan Conflict

New Atlanticist

Dec 1, 2021

The world must carefully engage with Afghanistan. Here’s how.

By Harris A. Samad

Ignoring Afghanistan would be a catastrophic mistake for the international community—as would be a rush to recognize the Taliban.

Afghanistan Crisis Management

Op-Ed

Dec 1, 2021

Albright and Mogherini in CNN: It’s time for the US to make good with Afghanistan

By Madeleine Albright and Federica Mogherini

"With new leadership in the White House, there is an opportunity to strengthen the Afghan peace process and secure our shared interests in peace, security, and regional stability," write Secretary Madeline Albright and Rector Federica Mogherini in CNN Opinion.

Afghanistan Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Dec 1, 2021

Sakhi deliver Biannual McMillan-Stewart Lecture on Afghanistan’s Traditional and Non-Traditional Security Issues and Regional Implications

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Conflict

Strategic Insights Memo

Nov 30, 2021

After Kabul: US and allied policy options in Afghanistan

By Atlantic Council and DT Institute

On September 1, 2021, the Atlantic Council and DT Institute ran an expert-driven matrix wargame to: (1) explore major policy dilemmas on the horizon after the US-led coalition withdrawal; and (2) forecast state behavior and assess emerging risks in the wake of the crisis. This Strategic Insights Memo captures the key takeaways from that wargame and the implications for great-power competition, regional security, and humanitarian issues in South Asia and the Middle East.

Afghanistan Conflict

Experts