Tue, July 16, 2024 | 6 - 8 p.m. | Bonn University Forum, Heussallee 18-24

Afghanistan is once again at the center of international attention. With the abrupt withdrawal of US troops and the rapid takeover of power by the Taliban in August 2021, the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the geopolitical landscape in the region have changed dramatically. These developments raise numerous questions, which we take as an opportunity to take a closer look. The aim is to take stock of the current situation on the ground and to draw lessons for German and European security policy.

Since the Taliban returned to power, the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated considerably. The humanitarian crisis has worsened and millions of people are threatened by hunger and poverty. Women and girls face drastic restrictions on their rights and freedoms, have hardly any educational opportunities, freedom of the press no longer exists and political opposition is violently suppressed.

Since fall 2022, the Enquete Commission "Lessons from Afghanistan for Germany's future networked engagement" has been reviewing the twenty-year Bundeswehr mission in Afghanistan. The interim report, which was published in February, allows initial conclusions to be drawn and raises fundamental questions about the future of European and German security policy: What strategic mistakes were made by the US withdrawal? How should Europe, and Germany in particular, position itself in the future?

The event is being organized in cooperation with the Bonn Society for Security Policy, the Young Society for Security Policy Bonn, the Federal Association for Security Policy at Universities Bonn, the Academy of International Affairs NRW and the Bonn Academy for Research and Teaching of Practical Politics.