Free 10-Week Online Seminar
Hosted on Zoom – Register for Link
Every Tuesday, March 5 – May 7, 2024
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM ET
Course Description
This 10-week online seminar will examine the past two years of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, including its internal political landscape and complex relationships with the regional and international community. Beginning with a survey of Afghanistan’s political history, the seminar will look at critical periods of peace, unrest, and development in the Republic, the influence of international agreements such as the 2001 Bonn Agreement and 2021 Doha Accords, and the role of the United States and its allies in building Afghanistan, and the fall of the Republic to the Taliban on August 15, 2021.
In the two years following the Taliban takeover, the people of Afghanistan have experienced extensive human rights abuses, political crackdowns, the targeting of opponents, the marginalization of ethnic and religious minorities, and harsh restrictions on women’s and girls’ fundamental rights. In addition to these political abuses, Afghanistan faces extreme food shortages, a worsening economy, and a dire humanitarian situation. Using up-to-date news stories and current reporting, this seminar will investigate the many challenges Afghanistan now faces under Taliban rule, ask how the nation ended up here, and explore the future possibilities for the country.
Seminar Co-Leaders
Dr. Kazim Karimi
Dr. Kazim Karimi is a Scholar at Risk with former teaching positions at Afghanistan and Dunya Universities, Afghanistan. He holds a PhD from Mangalore University, India, where his research focused on rural development models and women’s empowerment. He worked for many years in the Republic of Afghanistan’s government, the international development sector, and with organizations such as the United Nations, the World Bank, and the US (ISAF).
Dr. Fidel Rahmati
Dr. Fidel Rahmati was a lecturer at Parwan University in Afghanistan and holds a PhD in Geopolitics from Osmania University, India. Dr. Rahmati’s research focuses on South Asian Geopolitics and Afghanistan, where he has over a decade of experience in both teaching and research. He is also an active journalist with Khaama Press News Agency.
More Information
Participants who attend at least 8 out of 10 complete seminar sessions will receive a certificate of satisfactory completion signed by the Dean of The New School for Social Research. To obtain the certificate, participants must register and log in with the same email address each week.
Registration will remain open for the duration of the seminar. Registrants will receive a reminder email with the Zoom link each week. The seminar sessions will be recorded and available to registrants on Vimeo the following week.