UNSW & WSU Joint Book Launch - The Decline and Fall of Republican Afghanistan & The Sparrows of Kabul

This event was designed as a unique opportunity to engage the Afghan diaspora, as well as a demonstration of UNSW-WSU engagement and partnership in western Sydney. The IGD continues to support dialogue on critical security and governance issues surrounding humanitarian and development assistance in Afghanistan and the region.

On 15 August 2023 - the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul - the IGD partnered with the Whitlam Institute and the Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative at Western Sydney University, to host the joint launch of two books:

• The Decline and Fall of Republican Afghanistan by William Maley and Ahmad Shuja Jamal, and
• The Sparrows of Kabul by Fred Smith

These two publications provide the first book-length accounts and analyses of the fall of Kabul, and are significant to the interpretation of Afghanistan’s recent and troubled history.

Welcoming remarks were provided by:

• Professor John Juriansz, Director of the Whitlam Institute
• Dr Rhonda Itaoui, Director of the Centre for Western Sydney
• Professor Colin Grant, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Global at UNSW

We then heard from our featured speakers and authors, including:

• Zainab Khavary, Law student at WSU and human rights activist
• Tahmara Thomas, co-founder of the Her Village Foundation (alongside Zhohal Hashemi)
• Ahmad Shuja Jamal, former Director-General for International Relations for Afghanistan’s National Security Council
• Emeritus Professor William Maley, Vice-President of the Refugee Council of Australia
• Iain ‘Fred’ Smith, Australian diplomat and artist

An audience Q&A was facilitated by Leanne Smith (Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Human Rights Commission), followed by concluding remarks from HE Wahidullah Waissi (Ambassador of Afghanistan to Australia).