Nov. 5, 2002

Abdullah Abdullah Addresses Afghanistan Today

Elliott and Law Schools Sponsor Forum

Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister, Abdullah Abdullah, addressed a standing-room-only crowd in GW’s Jack Morton Auditorium Oct. 21. Abdullah, who has been at the core of diplomatic efforts to democratize Afghanistan since taking on the role of foreign minister under President Hamid Karzai, discussed the monumental task of rebuilding Afghanistan after two decades of Soviet occupation, civil war, and Taliban rule during the forum “Afghanistan Today,” organized jointly by the Elliott School of International Affairs and the Law School.

“First and foremost [Abdullah] is an Afghan nationalist,” said Ambassador Karl Inderfurth, professor of the practice of international affairs, ESIA. “I believe that Dr. Abdullah burns with the same fire as legendary Afghan resistance leader Commander Ahmed Shah Massud, to see Afghanistan free of both external and internal oppressors.”

Abdullah was a key figure in the Loya Jirga, the national assembly of civic, tribal, and administrative leaders to decide the establishment of a transitional government. In his speech he described his nation’s future as one of hope and opportunity, but with many challenges. Among the challenges Abdullah cited were the discrepancy between the large amounts of humanitarian aid and limited funds devoted to assistance in reconstructing the nation’s infrastructure decimated by 25 years of turmoil.

 

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