Join the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) on August 12, 2026, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. ET for a virtual panel discussion on “An Uphill Climb: Pushing for Inclusive Political Dialogue in Afghanistan.”
Marking the five-year anniversary of the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, the event will examine the policy options available to the United States and the international community to support a genuine, inclusive political process to determine Afghanistan’s future. The discussion draws on a new CNAS report An Uphill Climb: Pushing for Inclusive Political Dialogue in Afghanistan, with panelists including Ambassador Nasir A. Andisha, ambassador and permanent representative of Afghanistan to Geneva; Palwasha Hassan, executive director of Mina’s List; Ambassador Earl Anthony Wayne, former deputy U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and former U.S. ambassador to Mexico and Argentina. The conversation will be moderated by CNAS Adjunct Senior Fellow and report co-author Annie Pforzheimer, followed with remarks from Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan.
Five years after seizing power, the Taliban faces no credible internal security challenge, even as it presides over a deepening human rights catastrophe, particularly for women and girls, and continues to harbor terrorist groups, including al-Qaida and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The landscape for a possible political dialogue is shaped by a divided and dispersed Afghan opposition, rising Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions over Taliban support for the TTP, and growing international accountability efforts, including UN, International Court of Justice, and International Criminal Court actions on the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls. Speakers will explore how the United States and its partners can help catalyze a more inclusive, Afghan-led political process, weighing counterterrorism priorities, human rights accountability, and the broader implications for regional stability and U.S. strategic interests.
We invite you to join us for this timely and pressing conversation on the future of American policy in Afghanistan.
