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Afghanistan: Hard choices for Biden

The Trump administration promised to pull US troops out by May. Will Biden follow through?

The future of US troops in Afghanistan could be Joe Biden's first major foreign policy decision. Less than a year ago the Trump administration reached a deal with the Taliban to withdraw all American troops from the country. The Taliban promised to stop targeting US and NATO forces as they wound down their presence. Now, with the May deadline fast approaching, President Biden will need to decide whether to honour the agreement at a time when the Taliban is being blamed for a string of deadly attacks targeting journalists, judges and police officers. The Red Cross described Afghanistan as the deadliest country for civilians in 2020, but despite the violence the government in Kabul is continuing discussions with the Taliban over a framework for peace negotiations. The presence of foreign troops has provided some level of security against an enemy that controls swathes of the countryside, so what will happen if and when they leave? And could advances in gender equality and religious freedoms be rolled back as part of any final agreement? Join Ritula Shah and guests as they discuss the state of Afghanistan and the tough decisions the Biden administration will soon need to make.

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53 minutes

Last on

Sat 23 Jan 2021 04:06GMT

Contributors

Dr Habiba Sarabi -ΜύA former Afghan government minister, now a negotiator for the Afghan Republic delegation in their talks with the Taliban in Doha

Annie Pforzheimer - Former US Deputy Chief of MissionΜύin Kabul, now a non-resident Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

Christopher Kolenda - Former adviser to US Army General Stanley McChrystal and the first American to both fight the Taleban and negotiate with them. Author of the upcoming book: ’Zero-Sum Victory: What We're Getting Wrong About War’

Omar Samad - Former Afghan ambassador to France and Canada, currently a visiting senior fellow at the Atlantic Council

Also featuring ...

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai - A negotiator for the Taliban

Amrullah Saleh - Vice President of Afghanistan

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Photo

US soldiers in Afghanistan - Credit: AFP

Broadcasts

  • Fri 22 Jan 2021 10:06GMT
  • Sat 23 Jan 2021 00:06GMT
  • Sat 23 Jan 2021 04:06GMT

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