Panel Discussion: How should the West respond to the Taliban?

The University of Adelaide Politics and International Relations Association (PIRA) and the Support Association for the Women of Afghanistan (SAWA) are proud to be collaborating to deliver a discussion panel into the current situation in Afghanistan, to be held on 30 August 2024, marking the 3rd anniversary of Australia's withdrawal from Afghanistan which marked the end of Australia's longest engagement in an armed conflict. 

The event will be hosted at the University of Adelaide, commencing at 6pm on Friday 30 August 2024. It is expected to be 90 minutes in duration, with opportunity for guests to put questions to the panel. 

The discussion panel will be moderated by Claire O'Conner SC, a prominent Adelaide barrister and an active advocate for women’s rights and refugee rights. She has extensive experience in refugee law and human rights law and is a member of numerous legal and women’s organisations.

The panel will feature: 

Erfan Abidi worked as an interpreter and cultural adviser to Australian and NATO armed forces in Afghanistan. He and his immediate family were evacuated to Australia in August 2021. He is a passionate advocate for Afghan women’s rights and is actively involved in community activities in Adelaide. In 2023 he was awarded the UNESCO Adelaide Human Rights Award and he has recently been awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship by Rotary International.

Zainab Kazemi is a SAWA(SA) Committee member. She was born in Afghanistan and arrived in Australia with her parents in 2013. Currently studying teaching at the University of South Australia, Zainab is also a talented artist whose work is inspired by her cultural heritage. With the benefit of her Australian citizenship, Zainab visited extended family in Afghanistan in May and June this year. She will share her first-hand experiences of the difficulties faced by women and minorities under Taliban rule and present the views of people in Afghanistan.

Associate Professor Tim Legrand is Associate Dean (Research Performance) for the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics (ABLE) at the University of Adelaide, and co-Editor of the Australian Journal of International Affairs. His work traverses a range of security themes, principally in global blacklisting and sanctions, digital security, terrorism, political violence and political exclusion. He also engages widely with governments, NGOs and IGOs, and works with the UN as an advisor on blacklisting and sanctions in East Africa and Afghanistan. A/Prof Legrand holds an ARC Future Fellowship engaged in exploring authoritarian politics and practices of blacklisting, which commences in 2025.

PIRA and SAWA look forward to guests joining us for this special event.