On Tuesday 30 October 2007, the IISS and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP) co-hosted a panel discussion on the theme of "Afghanistan: A Way Forward" from 6.30-8 pm.
Moderated by Christopher Langton, IISS Senior Fellow for Conflict and Defence Diplomacy, the panel included:
Chris Riley - Strategic Director, NATO Media Operations Centre
Mark Sedra - University of Waterloo
Cyrus Hodes - Center for Advanced Defense Studies (CADS), Washington DC
Ayesha Khan - Researcher, Cambridge University & Chatham House
Farid Popal - Embassy of Afghanistan, London
Violence in Afghanistan has been on the rise in 2007 and there is a danger that Afghans are becoming increasingly disillusioned with a state-building process that has failed to deliver the peace dividend they were promised. For many Afghans, their security situation since the fall of the Taliban has not improved. Whether it is predatory warlords, the Taliban-led insurgency, the burgeoning narcotics trade, corruption at various government levels, or general criminality, the threats to the security and stability of Afghanistan are manifold. Overcoming these challenges is the daunting task faced by the international community in support of the Afghan government if Afghanistan is to emerge as a stable state. NATO is by no means the only actor with large responsibilities in this regard although its efforts to create a secure and stable environment for reconstruction and development to take place are vital. This meeting will explore the current and emerging challenge to security in Afghanistan to promote discussion on how the Afghan government, NATO, and other international actors can move towards success.
The event will be held in the House of Commons, Committee Room 14 (St Stephens Entrance). Guests coming to this event should enter the House of Commons through St Stephens Entrance (off St Margaret Street; No 6 on the map):
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/faxmap.pdf
The panel session started promptly at 6.30pm and concluded by 8 pm. Following the discussion, the IISS and YPFP invited participants to continue the discussion in an informal setting at the Red Lion pub, located nearby:
http://www.multimap.com/maps/?&hloc=GB|SW1A2NH
For further details of this event, please contact Raffaello Pantucci at
pantucci@iiss.org
