Afghan Ambassadors To Speak At 7th Annual Texas Women, Peace, And Security Symposium

The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University will host the 7th Annual Texas Women, Peace, and Security Symposium on Friday, Nov. 12. The future of women in Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul will be the focus of this year’s event.

The event will be held virtually from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration is available online. Organizers said policymakers have increasingly come to see how the situation, status and security of women affect national security. The one-day symposium will highlight the integral value of women and girls to strong, stable, peaceful societies — and why this matters here at home.

Speakers will include Ayaan Hirsi Ali of the Hoover Institution; Adela Raz, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the U.S.; Roya Rahmani, former Afghanistan ambassador to the U.S.; Ryan Crocker, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan; Sima Samar, former chair of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission; Ret. U.S. Air Force Col. Judge Advocate Cornelia Weiss; Metra Mehran of the Borlaug Institute; and Valerie Hudson of the Bush School of Government and Public Service.

Among the timely questions the expert panelists will discuss: Were efforts to improve the situation of Afghan women useless? Did they place a target on these women, thereby endangering them? What’s next for Afghan women, and is there any way to meaningfully help them now?

Organizers said the goal is to spotlight important perspectives and create awareness within Texas and the nation on these issues, while contributing to the Bush School’s goal of fostering discussions on pressing global issues amongst individuals of a variety of political and ideological persuasions.