Top Afghanistan experts to speak at Canadian War Museum

Top Afghanistan experts to speak at Canadian War Museum

“Attendance at our exhibition Afghanistan: A Glimpse of War surpassed 140,000 last month, which shows us that Canadians are eager to acquire insight into the Afghanistan conflict,” said Mark O’Neill, Acting Director of the Canadian War Museum. “These lectures by Steve Coll and Barnett Rubin, two highly respected authorities on the topic, present an excellent opportunity for visitors to expand their knowledge and deepen their understanding of the complex events, issues and powers that have contributed to the conflict in Afghanistan.”

On November 29 at 7 p.m., Coll will present Ghost Wars: The CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden, based on his book Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001. The former managing editor of the Washington Post and current head of the New America Foundation will explore tough questions surrounding the Afghanistan conflict: To what extent did American intelligence analysts grasp the rising threat of Islamist radicalism? Who tried to stop bin Laden? Why did they fail?

Coll, who served as the Post‘s South Asia bureau chief from 1989 to 1992, will recount the history of the covert wars that fuelled Islamic militancy and sowed the seeds of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. He’ll discuss the rise of the Taliban and of Osama bin Laden, and the United States’ failed efforts to find and assassinate him.

On December 6, also at 7 p.m., Central Asia expert Dr. Barnett Rubin will present Afghanistan: Transition Under Threat, in which he’ll explore the challenges the country faces as it tries to rebuild in the midst of continuing conflict.

Dr. Rubin, one of the world’s foremost authorities on Afghanistan, is Director of Studies and Senior Fellow at the Center on International Cooperation of New York University, where he directs the program on the Reconstruction of Afghanistan. He served as an advisor to the United Nations on drafting the country’s constitution, the Afghanistan Compact and the Afghanistan National Development Strategy.

Dr. Rubin is the author of numerous articles and books on conflict prevention, state formation and human rights, including The Fragmentation of Afghanistan: State Formation and Collapse in the International System and The Search for Peace in Afghanistan: From Buffer State to Failed State.

The exhibition Afghanistan: A Glimpse of War is on display in the Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae Gallery until April 27, 2008.

WHAT: Lecture by Steve Coll – Ghost Wars: The CIA, Afghanistan and bin Laden (in English with simultaneous translation in French)
WHERE: Barney Danson Theatre, Canadian War Museum
WHEN: November 29 at 7 p.m.
COST: Free

WHAT: Lecture by Barnett Rubin – Afghanistan: Transition Under Threat (in English with simultaneous translation in French)
WHERE: Barney Danson Theatre, Canadian War Museum
WHEN: