Taking pride in his country's past but looking toward the challenges of the future, the Afghan ambassador to the United Nations, Ravan Farhadi, held an informal talk with University students Friday.
Hosted jointly by the Department of Near Eastern Studies (NES), Whig-Clio and the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, the forum was an outgrowth of an NES course on Afghanistan taught by lecturer Michael Barry.
Before the open discussion, Farhadi met privately with the students in Barry's class to talk about his country and their study of it.
Princeton is "one of the few, if not the only, universities in the world to have a course on Afghanistan" Barry said. "Afghanistan is a country whose history is now intertwined with ours. This is a major country of the Middle Eastern scene."
Members of the audience saw interest in Afghanistan as vital to American policy. "Afghanistan is the first barometer of President Bush's democratization efforts. It holds longterm consequences," Bryan Cattle '07 said.
Opening his remarks, Farhadi said, "I am so happy there are young people who are interested in Afghanistan, in an important university as here." He went on to describe his nation's history and that of the relations between the United States and Afghanistan.
Although Afghanistan requested diplomatic relations from President Harding in the early 1920s, the United States only opened an embassy in Kabul in 1942, out of necessity in the Second World War, Farhadi said.
Farhadi said Afghans greatly appreciated American help during the Soviet occupation of that country during the 1980s. But after the Soviet Union left, "the West totally abandoned Afghanistan," Farhadi said.
Now, with American help, the country is rebuilding slowly. Despite the reconstruction efforts of the last few years, "as far as the economy is concerned, Afghanistan has great difficulties" because of war and exploitation, Farhadi said.
Even so, Farhadi said, great strides have been made towards a new government. After last year's presidential election, he looks forward to parliamentary elections in September.
"Afghanistan can be a rich country, but up to now there was no exploitation of the underground wealth — natural gas," Farhadi said. This resource combined with democratization makes Farhadi hopeful for the future.
However, the new parliament "won't be an easy parliament" due to factional rivalries, he said.
A native Afghan, Farhadi studied in Paris before becoming the deputy foreign minister of Afghanistan in 1971, according to Barry. After the communist coup in 1978, Farhadi was imprisoned in "what can only be described as a concentration camp," Barry said.
Released in 1980 after international pressure, Farhadi taught Islamic medieval mysticism at the University of California, Berkeley until he became his nation's representative to the United Nations.
Read More
Princeton awards 1,293 degrees to the Class of 2025 as speakers reference political headwinds
Maya MukherjeeReunions and graduation speakers referenced the tense political climate around higher education, adding urgent undertones — and sometimes overtones — to otherwise standard ceremonial speech fare.
Reunions and graduation speakers referenced the tense political climate around higher education, adding urgent undertones — and sometimes overtones — to otherwise standard ceremonial speech fare.
Joseph ’25 next Young Alumni Trustee in 21 percent turnout election
Vitus LarrieuGil Joseph ’25 won the Young Alumni Trustee election, which saw 21 percent turnout. Joseph, Stephen Padlo ’25 and Ben Wachspress ’25 competed in the final round of elections after advancing from a notably large primary in April.
Gil Joseph ’25 won the Young Alumni Trustee election, which saw 21 percent turnout. Joseph, Stephen Padlo ’25 and Ben Wachspress ’25 competed in the final round of elections after advancing from a notably large primary in April.
‘A brilliant young contemporary writer and a beautiful human being’: Remembering Lauren Blackburn ’26
Victoria Davies and Caitlyn TabladaBlackburn was found deceased by authorities on April 25, several days after he was reported missing. He was 23 years old at the time of his death and is remembered by friends and mentors as a brilliant writer, voracious learner, and loving friend. A family obituary said he passed away after a “courageous battle with bipolar disorder.”
Blackburn was found deceased by authorities on April 25, several days after he was reported missing. He was 23 years old at the time of his death and is remembered by friends and mentors as a brilliant writer, voracious learner, and loving friend. A family obituary said he passed away after a “courageous battle with bipolar disorder.”