OSCE Academy Students Had a Guest Lecture with Dr. Payám Foroughi on Afghanistan

On 14 January 2025, the OSCE Academy hosted a guest lecture by Dr. Payám Foroughi, an Assistant Professor of International Relations and Security Studies, from the College of International Studies, at American University of Iraq - Baghdad. The lecture was opened by Dr. Pal Dunay, Interim Director at the OSCE Academy. Dr. Foroughi explored Afghanistan’s recent history and the geopolitical ramifications of the Taliban regime. He examined key milestones in Afghanistan’s contemporary history, analyzed the Taliban victories of 1996 and 2021, and compared the group’s governance in its original and current forms. He also addressed whether the liberal West should politically and economically engage with the Taliban regime and advocated it. In that respect Dr. Foroughi partly emphasized that engagement is there from various countries, including great powers and regional powers, and that the Taliban regime also indicated its readiness to open toward the U.S. under the incoming American administration. The conversation with the students remained inconclusive as far as the recognition of the Taliban regime.

Dr. Payám Foroughi, holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Utah, is a scholar with expertise in U.S. foreign policy, climate change, and area studies focusing on Central Asia, the Middle East, and Afghanistan.

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