Madan on Afghanistan withdrawal

Assist. Prof. Athena Madan, who researches health and inequity, joined host Bill Kelly on 900 CHML in Hamilton to discuss the withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan and the seizing of control by the Taliban. Dr. Madan has worked in Afghanistan and has friends and colleagues in the country.

Here’s some of what she had to say:

“Most people [I have spoken to] have said that external actors could have seen this coming…

“I have a number of female colleagues [in Afghanistan]… they are afraid for their families, they are afraid for the threats they will face for being a woman in leadership or a woman in a position outside the home. And there hasn’t been any transition or succession plans for them to be able to step back from those positions. It’s just chaotic, both in the government and on the streets. There is no government now…

“It’s complicated, it’s complex, it’s a mess....The most helpful thing to do would be to listen to the voices of Afghan people on the ground and amplify those voices.

Listen to the full interview on the Bill Kelly Podcast at the 36-minute mark.