Fellows Seminar Series | Gulf Middle Powers Navigate Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan

Amid ongoing churning in the international order, the world’s ‘middle powers’ are likely to take more ownership of conflict points such as Afghanistan. In this seminar, our panellists will examine the complexities of the middle power states in the Persian Gulf, in the context of Afghanistan being the theatre of new geopolitical contestations following the US’s exit and the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. This subject is tackled in ORF’s research paper, Middle Powers in the Gulf: Navigating the Return of the Taliban in Afghanistan (orfonline.org).

Programme

12:00 - 12:05 (IN)

Welcome Remarks

Chair:

• Naghma Sahar, Senior Fellow, ORF

12:05 - 12:30 (IN)

Author’s Presentation

• Kabir Taneja, Fellow, ORF

12:30 - 12:40 (IN)

Panellist’s Remarks

• Shalini Chawla, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Air Power Studies

12:40 - 12:50 (IN)

Panellist’s Remarks

• Tilak Devasher, Member, National Security Advisory Board

12:50 - 13:25 (IN)

Moderated Q&A

13:25 - 13:30 (IN)

Closing Remarks by Chair

• Naghma Sahar, Senior Fellow, ORF