Event Details

  • Afghanistan’s Future: Development, the state, and the humanitarian challenge – the eleventh in the series, "The Yale Development Dialogues: Economic Policy Lessons from History"
  • Hosts: Yale Economic Growth Center, the Department of History, and the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs
  • Date and time: Tuesday, November 16, 2021, 12:00PM-1:00PM EST

Event Description

The American withdrawal from Afghanistan has left the international community uncertain, not only concerning the future of the country and its people – particularly women and girls – but also the future of intervention. While the complexity and limited success of interventions was well-documented even prior to the U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan, it was widely believed that a clearly defined mission and an exit strategy could overcome the inevitable setbacks. But the Taliban’s rapid advance across Afghanistan made it all the more clear that interventions are unpredictable and chaotic, and can fail for reasons beyond anyone’s control.

How does this intervention fit into a history of many failed – and some productive – interventions? What should the priorities of the international development community be as they interact with the country now? What does the future hold for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and its rulers’ relationship with the same foreign powers who were previously invaders? 

The panelists for the 11th Yale Development Dialogue have been at the forefront of policy in Afghanistan over the past two decades. They have held prominent roles in Afghanistan’s government, made significant achievements in the promotion of women’s rights in the country, and led scholarship and practice on development and intervention in fragile and conflict affected states.

Panelists

Dr. Orzala Nemat is a think tank director, research associate at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, and internationally known Afghan activist and scholar. An expert in political ethnography, she has over two decades of experience in development practice, humanitarian assistance, and promoting women’s rights in war-affected societies. 

Khalid Payenda served as the last Minister of Finance in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, leading an ambitious portfolio of economic reforms and anti-corruption initiatives until his resignation in August 2021. He formerly served as Afghanistan’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, and held senior posts at the World Bank in Kabul

Rory Stewart is a Senior Fellow at Yale Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, where he focuses on contemporary politics in crisis and on international development and intervention in fragile and conflict affected states. Stewart served as the UK Secretary of State for International Development where he doubled the U.K.’s investment in international climate and environment.

Moderator

Catherine Cheney ‘10 is a Senior Reporter for Devex, covering the West Coast of the U.S., focusing on the role of technology and innovation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.