[Watch Now] Mandarin Talks: Afghanistan today, after 20 years of foreign policy

By Chris Johnson

August 31, 2021

September Mandarin Talks Watch Now

15 September 2021. 1pm AEST. UNLOCKED to all subscribers, this month only.

Perspectives on what went wrong.

I was joined by Virginia Haussegger, journalist, writer and passionate women’s advocate, Ian McPhedran, Australian author and former defence writer, and Professor Amin Saikal AM FASSA, Adjunct Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Western Australia, former Director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies and Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University.

We discussed the foreign policy roles played by Australia, the United States of America and others in relation to Afghanistan over the past two decades. It has been 20 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks on America.

The response was decisive, but was it right? Many deaths later, the Taliban are back in charge and things look bleak. Where did it go wrong and what new policies should now be considered?

Watch the Full Episode Here

Guests:

Virginia Haussegger is a passionate women’s advocate and communication specialist. She is also an award-winning television journalist, writer and commentator, whose extensive media career spans more than 30 years.

Ian McPhedran is an Australian author, former defence writer and Walkley Award winning journalist. Ian made six trips to Afghanistan between 2002 and 2013 as a war reporter, and has published 8 books over his career. His most recent book is Where Soldiers Lie: The Quest to Find Australia’s Missing War Dead. 

Amin Saikal AM, FASSA is an Adjunct Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Western Australia, and author of ‘Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle and Survival’. His latest book is ‘Iran Rising: The Survival and Future of the Islamic Republic’ (Princeton University Press, 2021).

Chris Johnson is the managing editor of The Mandarin, and is based in Canberra. A longtime member of the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery, Chris was the Canberra bureau chief for Fairfax Media and has covered federal politics and foreign affairs for the SMH, Age, Canberra Times, and West Australian newspapers.

About Mandarin Talks

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We aim to chat about the important issues that really impact public sector leaders. The conversation will be less like an interview, and more straight-forward idea-sharing and insights into what really matters.

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