HDFF Chairman’s Circle Forum starts into 2013!
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“2014: Afghanistan Quo Vadis?”
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
On Tuesday, January 29, 2013, the Human Development Forum Foundation (HDFF) opened its first Chairman’s Circle event of the year in the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel in downtown Bangkok.
General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin, HDFF Chairman opens the 2013-1 Chairman Circle
A mixed group of participants from various organizations and companies invited by HDFF Chairman General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin took the chance to refresh their knowledge about the current situation in Afghanistan and discuss the country’s future, especially in regards to the withdrawal of most international troops in 2014.
HDFF Executive Director Dr. Herrmann and participants
discussing possible scenarios for Afghanistan after 2014
The foundation invited Mr. Ali Ahmad Abdul Ghafoory and Mr. Mohammad Harris Arifi, both Afghan nationals working in security management for the development sector in Afghanistan, to share their point of view on their country’s situation and scenarios for post-2014. Owing to their work and backgrounds, they are well positioned observers of the actual situation in Afghanistan as well as participants of the HDFF Stay Safe Advanced Security Management Training, which was taking place that week. This event thus proved to be a great opportunity to reveal deep insight into the very tense atmosphere in Afghanistan.
The speakers delivered a detailed analysis of the actual situation and possible ramifications of the international plans to remove most military troops from the country. Since 2012 was one of the most dangerous years in terms of the number of security incidents, a stable future of the central-Asian nation is difficult to foresee. Moreover, Afghanistan is a landlocked country amidst more powerful neighbors, and is therefore a play-ball between the interests of states like Iran and Pakistan. The internal conflicts have to be solved as well, but are complicated by the Taliban pretending to be part of peace negotiations while reality shows that they are not honestly interested in peace. Hence it is more likely that they will take the opportunity at the beginning of the coming security vacuum to launch a huge attack in the summer of 2014. The following months will indicate if the development of Afghanistan will shine with the gleam of hope or brood over a dark future.
The event was held under the Chatham House Rules which means that information gained during this event may be used. However, the person sharing the information must not be named.
Mr. Harris Arifi explains the current situation
A lively discussion with inputs from various sources created an inspirational environment regarding the most likely scenarios for the country and their ramifications for the citizens of Afghanistan.
Mr. Ali Ghafoory’s view into the future of Afghanistan
HDFF would like to take the opportunity to thank the speakers as well as the participants for their active participation, making the first HDFF Chairman’s Circle in 2013 a really informative and delightful event.
Mr. Harris Arifi (front row, middle left), Mr. Ali Ghafoory (front row, middle right)
and participants of the first Chairman’s Circle in 2556
HDFF Chairman’s Circles will be held continuously in 2013 and aim to deal with different political and security related topics. More information will be posted soon on the website or can be obtained via Mr. Christoph Gassner at gassner@hdff.org .
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