What’s happening in Afghanistan a year and a half after the U.S. withdrawal?

Overview:

The U.S. exit from Afghanistan in August 2021 resulted in the Taliban regaining control of the country and creating a refugee crisis as many Afghans fled. It also led to a significant economic contraction, increasing food insecurity and widespread deprivation. At the same time, at the end of 2022, the Taliban regime ordered all non-governmental groups to suspend employing women, worsening hunger and further lowering Afghanistan’s growth prospects.

On Feb. 9, 2023, Pulte Institute Inaugural Director Ray Offenheiser spoke with Aref Dostyar on what day-to-day life is like for families in Afghanistan. Dostyar is a scholar in residence at the University of Notre Dame Keough School’s Kroc Institute for Peace Studies, where he leads the Afghan program for peace and development. Before the fall of the democratic government, Dostyar served as the Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Los Angeles and as Director for Afghanistan at the National Security Council.