On 10 and 11 October 2019 SASNET successfully hosted a conference on Afghanistan with international experts and scholars. The two-day event started off with two public panels on “Security issues in Afghanistan: Its neighbours and the future of the country” and "Afghan Migration and Returnees". The panels were organised in collaboration with UPF Lund. Day 2 concluded with a closed discussion on a research proposal by Lund University's Dr. Daria Davitti.
In the first panel “Security issues in Afghanistan: Its neighbours and the future of the country”, the researchers discussed how Afghanistan’s neighbours affect the country’s security and what roles the Taliban, NATO, and IS play. The panel was moderated by Julian Tucker, Institute for Security and Development Policy.
The panel was joined by:
Prof. William Maley, Australia National University
Prof. Kristian Berg Harpviken, University of Oslo
Jia Liu, CMES, Lund University
The second panel on “Afghan Migration and Returnees” examined the encounters of Afghan asylum seekers and returnees with the authorities in Afghanistan and European countries. Formal, informal, public, and private institutions were considered with regard to the roles they play in this process. The panel also directed attention towards networks or groups without official recognition but which nonetheless operate in an institution-like manner. The event was moderated by Alice Hertzberg, Malmö University.
Participants were:
Dr. Anna Lindberg, SASNET, Lund University
Dr. Ceri Oeppen, University of Sussex
Dr. Chona Echavez, Director, RIMCU
Hadi Marifat, Director of Afghanistan Democracy and Human Rights Organization (AHRDO)
Dr. Liza Schuster, University of London
Reza Hussaini, Graduate School for Social Research in Poland