Dr. Abdullah: Consensus and Cooperation Key to Afghanistan’s Future

Former Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Dr. Abdullah, concluded AUAF’s lecture series 10 May 2008 by speaking about the need for political and public solidarity in overcoming current challenges in Afghanistan.

Dr. Abdullah’s lecture, titled “Afghanistan Since 2001: From Emirate to Republic,” highlighted key gains made since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, and discussed the challenges the country is facing.

The former minister, who currently directs the Masoud Foundation, praised progress made so far. “Look at where we are standing,” he pointed out, referring to AUAF’s campus. “We couldn’t dream of such a situation in the old days.”

However, he also acknowledged past mistakes and current shortcomings of the government. Building a democratic, inclusive and participatory governance structure requires current politicians and administrators to build on successes and encourage further progress by taking a critical look at the performance of government. “The challenges we see today are the weakness of the government, security, and coherence, and most of all the inability to draw lessons and define new priorities.”

The Spring 2008 Lecture Series at AUAF saw a series of lectures provided a forum for members of the academic, business, civil society, and political communities to discuss contemporary issues in Afghan scholarship.