The Coalition for Global Prosperity were delighted to partner with Conservative Friends of Afghanistan for a panel discussion at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham this year, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan one year on from the withdrawal of Allied troops from the country.

The panellists:

• His Excellency Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, Ambassador of Qatar

• Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP

• Nusrat Ghani MP (Minister of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)

• Major-General (retired) James Cowan CBE, DSO (CEO of The Halo Trust)

• Shabnam Nasimi (Executive Director of Conservative Friends of Afghanistan)

• James Heappey MP (Minister of State for Armed Forces and Veterans)

• Chair: Ryan Henson (CEO of The Coalition for Global Prosperity)

• His Excellency gave his opening remarks, stating that Qatar played a significant role in facilitating talks between the U.S. and the Taliban which brought about the end of the war. However, he explained, “that’s just one side of the story. The other side is what we do afterwards, which is as important as the chapter we have left behind.” He affirmed that Qatar strongly supports helping the Afghan people, and advocates for constructive engagement with all the parties involved in the conflict.

Henson asked the panel what the regional and global consequences have been from the Allied withdrawal from Afghanistan. James Heappey responded and said that the biggest consequence globally had been a “rethink” from other countries, including those in East Africa, as to “whether you want the U.S. and Europeans turning up in your region trying to sort out your problems for you.” Regionally, Heappey explained that there had been some impatience in the area. Uzbekistan would like to see the Taliban recognised as the government of Afghanistan, as that unlocks a route to the sea for central Asian states.

But, he said, “the sad reality is that none of this is massively different from when we were sat having this conversation exactly this time last year.” He said that nobody can bring themselves to deal with the Taliban, and thus the country stays in a dire state.

Nusrat Ghani acknowledged that there are many Afghan women left behind who still need help.

Shabnam Nasimi underlined that we need to prioritise what the Afghan people want. However, she also questioned how the solution can come from the ground, when the Taliban are unelected and entered the country by force. People’s voices are silenced for speaking out. The devastating attack on an education centre last week, with 100 dead and injured – mostly girls – is one example of the continued marginalisation of certain groups, she said. The recurring conversation is always “what it [the situation in Afghanistan] means for others, and never what it means for Afghans themselves.” She hopes that moving forward, the focus shifts.

James Cowan talked about his recent visit to Afghanistan in June, where The Halo Trust supports over 30,000 Afghans. He said that he met with some senior Taliban ministers, including a man who had been in Guantanamo Bay. Explaining why he decided to do this, he said that there were three basic models which apply to the country: an externally-backed, vaguely liberal government; a conservative, insular regime; and civil war.

“Afghanistan today is actually extremely peaceful”, he said. He argued that reengagement is the way forward: “It is our moral responsibility to engage with Afghanistan, to reestablish diplomatic relations, and try and help nudge this country in a direction which is more progressive.”

Liam Fox stated that we have “subjected the people not just to an undemocratic government, but to an anti-democratic government.” There has been the return of institutionalised misogyny, instruments of oppression, a highly rigid theocracy and brutality to those who were friends of the previous democratic regime. “There is nothing we should be patting ourselves on the back for”, he said.

Responding to Cowan’s comment, Fox said that “peace was not just the absence of war or conflict, peace also requires you to be able to live without fear.” We need to think about what peace actually means. He said that there was a difference between a “marshall plan” for Germany post WWII – a country that wanted to return to democracy – and a group like the Taliban who have no concern for human rights. Though he agreed with Cowan’s view that we “shouldn’t freeze them out”, he said it would be very hard to justify spending British taxpayers’ money helping a regime that institutionally abuses ½ of the population because they are female.

Cowan replied and explained that the situation is undoubtedly very complex, and there are parts of the coalition government in the country who do want to see more women working and in education. However, “the politics of Afghanistan will move slowly, and we must be patient with it”, Cowan said. “I totally agree with Dr. Fox, and I want the same things as him. I’m talking about the tactics of this - and it’s patient diplomacy that will achieve the result”, he said.

Henson then asked what the UK has been doing to tackle the dire humanitarian crisis in the country. Ghani said that the UK has committed $676 million in aid and helped to collectively raise $2.4 billion for the UN Humanitarian Response Plan in March of this year. She said women in Afghanistan are incredibly worried that the money being raised will not get to the communities they want it to reach. 23 million people are at risk of starvation. She said she was anxious that as a result, more and more people will begin to accept the Taliban’s ideology because they are reliant on them for support.

Heappey said that the UK is helping by getting money in through the UN as best we can, though admitted that it was an “entirely UN backed and administered aid programme”, so is limited to this reach.

Cowan said because of his meeting with Taliban ministers, after the earthquake in Afghanistan this summer, The Halo Trust was able to help to clear the rubble and bring in its ambulances. “We must be able to respond to real things that happen to real people, irrespective of the politics of it”, he said. “The reality is, it's not going away: Afghanistan is ruled by the Taliban and it will get worse if it’s pushed into a corner”, he said. Civil war will harm the people more than the present situation, he argued.

Heappey argued that the international community hasn't asked the Taliban to show up as a Western liberal democracy, but to abide by basic rule of law, and allow girls to get an education, which they haven’t.

Cowan said that Afghanistan before August 2021 was not some “nirvana that has departed”, it was “years of extreme violence” descending into worse and worse chaos. He argued that given we are only 14 months on from the beginning of Taliban rule, more time needs to pass to change “deep-seated cultural behaviours and prejudices.”

Fox responded and said that there was a difference between charities engaging with the Taliban, and a government with very clear ethics using its citizens' money for the same purpose.

His Excellency said that he understood both Cowan and Fox, and said that “patience” was important. “It will require a collective effort”, he said. “70 years ago, the Gulf was in a similar condition. Because of the openness of our partners and allies 70 years ago, we managed to progress in the direction that we have.” Qatar now has three female cabinet ministers, and women in leadership positions. “Who would have imagined this 70 years ago?” he asked.

Nasimi countered Cowan’s view and shared that the women she knows and speaks to in Afghanistan are very much still at risk, and fear for their lives. The Taliban have a very “narrow-minded” viewpoint about ruling over people. Women have been restricted from going to work, and further to this, there are no employment opportunities. “They are incapable of governing”, she said.

Cowan highlighted the need for action: “If you’re in the [UK] government, the question is, what are you actually going to do?” He said there needs to be a plan that accounts for all the people of Afghanistan, not just evacuation efforts that only accounts for some of them.

Ghani said that there had been a huge difference in the way we treat Ukrainian women and the way we treat Afghan women,“something that the West needs to come to terms with.”