Afghanistan Expert to Speak at UW Wednesday

A former longtime official in Afghanistan who advocates for freedom and democracy in that nation is scheduled to speak Wednesday, Sept. 28, at the University of Wyoming.

Ambassador Omar Samad will discuss “The End of America’s Longest War: Lessons and Prospects from Afghanistan” from 5:20-6:20 p.m. in the Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center auditorium. The public is invited to the presentation, which is hosted by UW’s School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies.

Samad currently is a Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council South Asia Center in Washington, D.C., dealing with South and Central Asia, U.S.-Afghanistan, geopolitical and reconciliation issues. Recently, he advised Afghanistan’s High Council on National Reconciliation on peace diplomacy and reconciliation strategy through a United Nations development program on peacebuilding.

Samad also is the CEO of Silkroad Consulting based in Virginia, and he taught on Islamic radicalism for the University of Maryland.

Samad had a distinguished career in the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he served as ambassador-designate to Belgium, the European Union and NATO (he resigned before posting in 2016); ambassador to France and Canada; and spokesperson for the ministry. He also served as the senior adviser for policy and strategy to the chief executive of Afghanistan in Kabul; was the Senior Central Asia Fellow at the New America Foundation; and was the senior Afghan expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Since 1979, he has actively advocated for freedom and democracy in Afghanistan, and he is a regular contributor and commentator to international and Afghan media.