Events
WEBINAR // Case Study: The Tragedy of Afghan Refugees
On August 13, 2024 at 12:00 PM (EST) the Global Policy Institute (GPI) and Bay Atlantic University (BAU) held an event titled ” The Tragedy of Afghan Refugees ” via Zoom and in-person at BAU, 8th floor conference room.
The recent history of Afghanistan is a sad tale of foreign invasions, armed resistance, civil war, and then brutal Taliban rule. This was followed by the American 2001 invasion in retaliation for the 9/11 2001 terror attacks plotted by al Qaeda, a terror network at the time based in Afghanistan. The U.S. and its NATO Allies costly efforts to support modernization and democracy in Afghanistan, in full cooperation with indigenous political forces, in the end failed –miserably. The hasty and disorganized American withdrawal in August 2001 caused massive misery for the people of Afghanistan, especially for the tens of thousands who had worked for the U.S. and its NATO Allies who would be targeted by the victorious Taliban. They desperately tried to leave the country, trying all sorts of avenues. With the critical help of the U.S. Government, many foreign countries, UN agencies, and NGOs, many succeeded. But many more did not. Mr. Ahmad Sayer Daudzai joined us for a timely discussion on this still unfinished tragedy, he is a former Acting Ambassador of Afghanistan to the UAE who personally supervised and supported an enormous effort aimed at relocating thousands of Afghans who had fled Afghanistan in the aftermath of the collapse of the pro-Western government in Kabul.
About GPI/BAU Series on Refugees
The number of forcibly displaced people – people who had to leave their homes on account of conflicts or persecution – is climbing at a rapid pace across the world. At the end of 2023 there were about 110 million displaced individuals, many of them are children. Of these, more than 35 million were and are refugees. Sadly, these numbers are going up, year after year. The refugees crisis is now an enormous human catastrophe.
To shed some light on this tragedy, the Global Policy Institute, GPI, and Bay Atlantic University, BAU, will hold a series of events on refugees, featuring experts who will discuss case studies with the goal of illustrating the issues and the huge human and economic costs associated with them.
Event Recording:
Speaker
Ahmad Sayer Daudzai is an expert in geoeconomics, geopolitical analysis, migration and economic diplomacy. Upon acquiring his Bachelor degree from the American University in Dubai, Ahmad Sayer Daudzai established his own firm Velocity Consulting in Afghanistan which provided financial and investment consulting services to the public and private sectors of Afghanistan. In 2013, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and became an economic diplomat. He was posted as the Vice Consul of Afghanistan in Istanbul, Turkey to manage the bilateral trade, financial intelligence analysis and illegal migration portfolios. During that term he also acquired his Masters degree in Global Affairs from BAU in Istanbul, Turkey. In 2017, he returned to Kabul and was appointed as a Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs. From 2017 until 2019 he also continued to manage his firm Velocity Consulting as a senior partner. He also co-founded an insurance company called Capital Star Insurance in Afghanistan. In September 2019, he was appointed as the Economic Counselor and Deputy Ambassador at the Embassy of Afghanistan in UAE. From February 2020 until October 2020, he served as the Charge d’Affaires (Acting Ambassador) of the Embassy of I.R Afghanistan in the UAE. He then served as the Deputy Ambassador of Afghanistan in UAE from November 2020 until August 2021. From September 2021 until November 2023, he served his second term as the Acting Ambassador of Afghanistan in UAE. He now serves as a senior advisor to Washington DC based Geopolitical Advisory firm called Gulf State Analytics. He is also a Fellow at the Global Policy Institute.
Moderator
Paolo von Schirach became President of the Global Policy Institute, GPI, in 2016. He is also Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Bay Atlantic University, BAU, in Washington DC. He previously served as Department Chair for Political Science and IR at BAU. Areas of expertise: US politics and economics, international security, NATO affairs, the war in Ukraine, the Middle East, US-China relations, Africa, terrorism, oil and gas and renewable energy.
Paolo von Schirach is the Founder and Editor of the Schirach Report, an online publication focusing on politics, economics and international security. Von Schirach is a frequent lecturer, TV and radio commentator, on US foreign and domestic politics and global issues. He is frequently on Alhurra TV, Asharq News, BBC Arabic, TG5 (Italy), Cairo TV, Sky News Arabia, Newsy, France 24, and other networks.
For more than 25 years von Schirach worked in emerging markets as Team Leader and Senior Expert managing investment and trade promotion programs. Prior to that he was a Research Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS, which was followed by filling the role of Director of Communications, and later on Senior Research Fellow, at the Atlantic Council. He was Deputy Director of the Global Security Project at Georgetown University, and Vice President for International Programs at Intelx, an institution focusing on international education. He was an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Program of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, (MSFS). He has been a frequent lecturer at the Foreign Service Institute, (FSI), the U.S. Federal Government’s primary foreign affairs training institution. Von Schirach holds higher degrees from Georgetown University where he was also a Fulbright Scholar and Fellow in the Government Department, the London School of Economics, the University of Pisa, Italy, and the Scuola Universitaria Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa.