In 2021, the Taliban seized Kabul, and the Afghan government collapsed. What has happened to women and girls since, and has the international community failed them?
Dr Habiba Sarabi, Afghanistan’s former Women’s Affairs Minister, argues the West isn’t demanding anything meaningful from the Taliban in exchange for cooperation and humanitarian aid.
Rina Amiri, who served as US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls and Human Rights under President Biden, argues the world should apply the precedent of apartheid South Africa to the Taliban leadership, saying the total exclusion of women from public life is an anomaly even within the Islamic world.
Chapters
00:00 – Intro: 5 Years Since the Fall of Kabul
01:31 – Key Events Leading to the US Withdrawal
Interview with Rena Amiri
02:18 – US Responsibility and the Doha Agreement
03:34 – Flaws in the Doha Peace Process & US Miscalculations
05:06 – Why the Current Engagement Strategy with the Taliban is Failing
08:35 – Alternatives to High-Level Taliban Engagement
11:28 – Ideology vs. Islam: The Eradication of Women from Public Life
12:42 – The Personal & Moral Toll on US Veterans and Allies
Interview with Dr Habiba Sarabi
14:05 – 20 Years of Human Rights Gains Erased
16:35 – Missed Opportunities During the Doha Peace Talks
17:50 – Was the US Withdrawal a Strategic Mistake?
20:00 – Why the Afghan State and Military Collapsed So Rapidly
21:00 – "Gender Apartheid": Systemic Oppression of Women
22:03 – Principle-Based Engagement vs. Normalising Taliban Rule
24:38 – Looking Ahead: Can Afghanistan’s Future Be Reclaimed?
25:46 – Closing
