Hindsight Up Front Afghanistan gathers policy experts, scholars, activists, and others from Afghanistan and around the world to discuss Afghanistan’s present and future.

Since its launch in July 2021, the initiative has looked at how the region—China, Russia, Pakistan, India, and Iran—have viewed and responded to the August 2021 U.S. military withdrawal, explored the implications of the August 2021 Taliban takeover for human rights and civil society in Afghanistan, and assessed the future of counter-terrorism and related security issues for the United States. It has featured, and will continue to feature, interviews with veterans, voices from Afghanistan’s civil society, prominent scholars, and senior officials.

Hindsight Up Front Afghanistan builds upon more than 20 years of independent, non-partisan research and events on Afghanistan conducted by the Wilson Center. The initiative is run by the Center’s Asia Program and South Asia Institute, and led by Michael Kugelman, South Asia Institute director and a leading specialist on Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan.