In August 2021, as U.S. forces completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan, Taliban fighters advanced on Kabul, and the U.S.'s 20-year war in that country came to a close.
Along with the end of military operations, that time as marked a turning point for women's freedom in the country. From how they were involved in politics, to the economy and public life as a whole.
Roya Rahmani had served as the first female ambassador ever to represent Afghanistan in the United States from December 2018 until July 2021, leaving the position shortly before the military withdrawal.
She was just one of many women who were involved in the foreign service.
Since leaving that position she's moved into the private sector, traveling around the globe urging private organizations to ensure that they support fledgling and fragile democracies like Afghanistan.
Rahmani was recently in Northeast Ohio at the invitation of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs.
Jenny Hamel spoke with her at the Ideacenter studios about her time in Afghanistan, how women there are faring after the U.S. withdrawal, and the work she's focused on now.
Guests:
- Roya Rahmani, Former Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States and Indonesia;
Senior Fellow for International Security, The New America Foundation
- Jenny Hamel, Host and Producer, Ideastream Public Media
