Andiana Foundation Events
Upcoming Events
Taliban Rule and the Shifting Security Terrain:
Regional Realignments and Geopolitical Consequences
On Friday, August 22, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM (EST), the Andiana Foundation will host a virtual panel discussion examining the complex and rapidly evolving security environment in Afghanistan and its surrounding region. The event will also be streamed live on the Foundation’s YouTube channel, providing access to a global audience.
This program marks the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, a turning point that has reshaped Afghanistan’s internal politics, altered regional alliances, and introduced new challenges for global security. Over the past four years, the Taliban’s governance has unfolded alongside persistent human rights concerns, severe restrictions on women and girls, and growing questions about the group’s ties to terrorist networks. At the same time, shifting geopolitical alignments and intensified cross-border militancy have transformed the regional security calculus for Afghanistan’s neighbors and beyond.
The discussion will bring together distinguished experts to explore the Taliban’s evolving relationships with groups such as Al-Qaida and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), the implications of these alliances for regional stability, and the broader ideological currents shaping Afghanistan’s trajectory. Panelists will also consider the strategic responses of key regional powers, the potential for renewed proxy conflicts, and the ways in which militancy and ideological extremism could influence future security trends in South and Central Asia.
By situating Afghanistan’s current dynamics within the larger geopolitical landscape, this event will provide policymakers, analysts, and the public with critical insight into one of the most pressing and complex security issues of our time.
This conversation will take place virtually on Youtube. Please register via the registration box below. Youtube channel link: youtube.com/@andianafoundation
Speakers:
Opening remarks
Dr. Nilofar Sakhi
President, Andiana Foundation
Moderator Sara Hakimi
Policy Fellow at the Andiana Foundation, Former Diplomat
Michael Kugelman
South Asia Analyst
Dr. Milwais Balkhi
Former Afghan Minister of Education, Adjunct Professor at James Madison University
Afrasiab Khattak
Former Senator (Pakistan), Senior Leader of the National Democratic Movement
Fatemeh Aman
Independent Analyst, Iran and South Asia
Dr. Mumtaza Abdurazzakova
Education and International Development Expert
Past Events
Wednesday, October 30
The Future of Regionalism: Afghanistan, South, and Central Asia
1957 E St NW, Lindner Family Commons, Washington, DC
Leading experts will convene to discuss Afghanistan and regional challenges and find ways forward.
Presented by:
Panel One Speakers:
Afghanistan’s Regional Complexities: Historical Context, Present-day Rivalries, and Key Transnational Challenges
Panel Two Speakers:
Search for Solutions: Security Cooperation, Economic Cooperation and Regional Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention
Tuesday, May 13, at 10:00 a.m. (ET)
The Andiana Foundation in collaboration with the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative will host a discussion taking stock of US Policy options in Afghanistan.
Nearly four years after the Taliban's return to power, US policy on Afghanistan remains unclear. The Taliban's close ties to al-Qaida and the growing trend of radicalization in the country poses a direct threat to US interests in the region. Along with the Taliban's pattern of suppression, instability, and its lack of inclusive governance, us policy makers have already raised serious concerns on the political trajectory of the country.
Still, engagements between US officials and the Taliban on issues like counterterrorism, humanitarian aid, and the release of detainees have progressed, despite the lack of a coherent long-term strategy. Our discussion will assess the evolving political and security landscape of Afghanistan, its implications for US strategic interests, and the way forward for US policy on Afghanistan.
Opening Remarks by
Mr. Jonathan Panikoff
Director, Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, Atlantic Council
Ms. Lisa Curtis
Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at CNAS
Moderated by
Dr. Nilofar Sakhi
Andiana Foundation President, Non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council
Ambassador M. Ashraf Haidari
Ambassador of Afghanistan to Sri Lanka Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University
Ambassador Ronald Neumann
President at The American Academy of Diplomacy