What's next for Afghanistan?

Free and open to Ford School students, faculty, and staff. Should registration exceed the capacity of the room, participants will be selected at random via lottery. 

Join Associate Professor of Practice Javed Ali, IPC/WDC director John Ciorciari, Professor of Practice in International Diplomacy Ambassador Susan D. Page, and IPC/WDC Senior Advisor and Professor of International Policy and Practice Ambassador Mel Levitsky for a conversation about the situation in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces. We will explore issues including the impact of the withdrawal on U.S. foreign policy, intelligence, and counterterrorism efforts; regional security and diplomacy; domestic developments, humanitarian conditions, and human rights within Afghanistan; the ongoing evacuation and refugee exodus; and the U.S. domestic political ramifications of the crisis.

Health and safety

The most current University of Michigan health and safety protocols will be followed. At this time, U-M requires individuals to wear face masks inside all campus buildings and will be expected to complete their ResponsiBLUE survey prior to entering Weill Hall, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. Please see the U-M Campus Maize and Blueprint for all current public health guidance, policy, and answers to frequently asked questions. For contact tracing purposes, attendees must register for this event using the form linked at the top of this listing.

Faculty Expert

Javed Ali

Associate Professor of Practice

Ali is a former senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, with over 20 years of professional experience in national security and intelligence issues in Washington, D.C. He served in the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he also held senior positions on joint duty assignments at the National Intelligence Council, the National Counterterrorism Center, and the National Security Council.

Faculty Expert

Susan D. Page

Professor of Practice in International Diplomacy at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, and Professor from Practice at the University of Michigan's Law School. Director; Weiser Diplomacy Center

Page applies her vast foreign policy experience to the Weiser Diplomacy Center. She has served the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations in senior roles for decades, across East, Central, and Southern Africa, and in Haiti and Nepal. Page was the first U.S. ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan and served as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations in Haiti.

Faculty Expert

Melvyn Levitsky

Professor of International Policy and Practice (on leave)

Levitsky serves as senior associate of the school's International Policy Center, and senior advisor to the Weiser Diplomacy Center. During his 35-year career as a U.S. diplomat, Levitsky was ambassador to Brazil from 1994-98 and held such senior positions as Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics Matters, ambassador to Bulgaria, deputy director of the Voice of America, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights.

• Afghanistan
• John Ciorciari
• Javed Ali
• Susan D. Page
• Mel Levitsky