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Resources and Publications

Publications & Podcasts

Following is a curated collection of articles, op-eds, policy briefs, and podcasts by AfPAD participants and partners.

Featured Articles & Reports

• How the United Nations Can Turn Afghanistan's Seat Into a Path Forward
  Authored by Aref Dostyar | PeaceRep, September 2025

• Evaluating International Strategies Toward the Taliban
  Targeted for spring 2026, this study will assess international engagement strategies used between August 2021 and August 2024 to influence Taliban policies. It aims to determine the effectiveness of these efforts and offer recommendations to the U.S. government, the UN, and the EU.

• Establish a UN Conflict Prevention Mechanism for the Afghanistan Region
  Co-authored by Laurie Nathan and Nilofar Sakhi | The Atlantic Council, 2024

• Colloquium on Political Processes in Afghanistan
  Co-hosted with the U.S. Institute of Peace and American Institute of Afghanistan Studies | April 2024
  20+ scholars presented research on pathways to political dialogue.

• What Could Shape the Conditions for Dialogue in Afghanistan?
  By Aref Dostyar & Zmarai Farahi | PeaceRep at LSE, June 2023

• Why the Afghan Peace Process Failed, and What Could Come Next?
   By Aref Dostyar & Zmarai Farahi | Middle East Institute, August 2023

• Taliban’s Ban on Women Deepens Afghan Hunger Crisis
   Blog by Aref Dostyar & Ray Offenheiser | Pulte Institute, February 2023

• Afghan Women’s Rights as the Taliban’s Bargaining Tool
  By Roqia Samim & Tahmnia Sobat | Featured by UN Special Rapporteur, January 2023

• Donor Support for Afghan Nonprofits Must Continue
   Co-authored by Malalai Habibi, January 2023

• People-Centered Development & Human Security
  By Nilofar Sakhi | Pulte Institute, November 2022

Series & Briefs

• Afghanistan: The Next Chapter (Religious Freedom Institute, 2022)
  Five policy papers on dialogue, inclusion, and peace strategy by Afghan civil society leaders. Policy topics included the need for a global inclusive engagement with Afghanistan by Aref Dostyar, a peace process by Qasim Wafayezada, political dialogues by Fawzia Kofi, women and minority groups’ engagement by Palwasha Kakar, and a concluding paper to the series highlighting the importance of taking action by Charles Ramsey.

• Peace Policy Brief: Focus on Afghanistan (Kroc Institute, 2022)
  Edited by Lisa Schirch, featuring four expert essays with policy recommendations.

Podcast Episodes

• Global Pathway Podcast: Afghanistan Update
   With Lisa Schirch & Wais Barmak | April 2022

• The Kroc Cast: What’s Happening with Afghan Women
  Hosted by Malalai Habibi | January 2022

Dialogue & Visioning Process (DVP)

Featured Dialogue Initiatives

• 2025 (Planned): Multiple New Workshops
  DVP will work with partner organizations to further expand and deepen DVP in 2025.

• December 2024: Regional Consultation in Istanbul
  Co-hosted with Marmara University. Engaged 20 participants from Afghanistan who reside in Türkiye, Afghanistan, and the surrounding region.

• June 2024: Pocantico Center Retreat (with Rockefeller Brothers Fund)
  Expanded the vision to 12 core clauses with 22 representatives from movements in women’s rights, youth, media, and the arts.

• January 2024: Hybrid Dialogue Workshop (co-hosted with Pepperdine University and the Libertas Council)
  Brought together 12 diverse participants from inside and outside of Afghanistan, produced a shared Vision Document with 10 guiding principles.

AfPAD is teaming with the PeaceTech and Polarization Lab (PTAP) to explore the potential of using deliberative technology platforms to support dialogue, and to develop a methodology for ongoing consultation with and among people from Afghanistan.

Public Policy Forums

Following are highlights from AfPAD’s public-facing events and webinars on Afghanistan's future.

Recent Forums

• November 2024: Afghanistan and Central Asia: Taliban Rule, Economic Projects, and Regional Stability
  Co-hosted with the Institute for Advanced International Studies, University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED) | Moderated by Dr. Akram Umarov.

• April 2023: UN and the Taliban’s Ban on Afghan Women
  Co-hosted with PRIO-Oslo | Moderated by Aref Dostyar.

• February 2023: Renewing the UN Mandate in Afghanistan
   Co-organized with PRIO-Oslo | Moderated by Laurie Nathan.

• December 2023: Using Tech for Peace & Development in Afghanistan
   With Alliance for Peacebuilding | Moderated by Lisa Schirch.

• September 2022: Afghanistan: The Next Chapter
   Co-hosted with Baylor University | Format for inclusive dialogue proposed.

• May 2022: Afghanistan: What Risk of Armed Conflict?
   Facilitated by Aref Dostyar and Lisa Schirch.

• February 2022: Revising the UN Assistance Mission Mandate
   Co-hosted with PRIO | Facilitated by Laurie Nathan and Kristian Berg Harpviken.

• October 2021: Prioritizing Afghan Voices: How the International Community Can Assist Afghanistan
   Convened by Laurie Nathan in Washington, D.C.

• August 2021: Flash Panel: The Unfolding Situation in Afghanistan
  Hosted by the Kroc Institute in response to the U.S. withdrawal.

Government Briefings

Since 2023, AfPAD has provided briefings, by request, to more than 20 governments and multilateral institutions on its research findings and developments in Afghanistan.

Intra-Afghan Dialogues and Other Work

• In 2023, AfPAD initiated a sustained Dialogue and Visioning Group among Afghans from diverse backgrounds. The initiative brings together a group of peacebuilding and peacemaking experts to explore opportunities for a negotiated process to address humanitarian, development, and political futures for Afghanistan.
• In February 2022, Aref Dostyar and Laurie Nathan organized a Track 2 Dialogue titled “How Should the International Community Respond to the Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan?” A diverse group of Afghan leaders and representatives from the international community, including the UN and aid agencies, participated in the dialogue which aimed to enhance understanding on effective policies for aid delivery and reviving Afghanistan’s economy.
• The Peace Accords Matrix (PAM) team at the Kroc Institute is working to distill best practices in peacemaking and peace agreement design and implementation to support facilitators, negotiators, and conflict parties working in Afghanistan. PAM Director Josefina Echavarría Álvarez works with PAM’s research associates and partners who provide expert briefs and substantive advice on issues related to peace in Afghanistan.
• The Contending Modernities (CM) research initiative at the Kroc Institute analyzes the role religion plays in the constitutional and legal order of Afghanistan. Ebrahim Moosa, CM Co-Director and Mirza Family Professor of Islamic Thought and Muslim Societies, is examining the judicial and legislative developments under the Taliban as well as working to engage a new generation of Madrasa-educated theologians on issues of revitalizing and exploring theology and tradition. A tried and tested educational curriculum piloted in other parts of South Asia helps traditional Muslim scholars (ulamā) in South and Central Asia to navigate a number of social, political, theological, and legal issues by deepening their theological and scientific literacy.