To mark Women’s History Month, Policy Leader Fellow Yasasmin Kaviratne reminds us of the gains Afghanistan’s women have made – and recently lost – in securing their fundamental rights to health, education and freedom from discrimination.

Border crises are reinforcing rather than breaking a pan-EU governmental consensus on border security, according to the Migration Policy Centre’s James Dennison and Andrew Geddes. In this post they point out the many new political problems which this focus on border protection creates.

The Taliban’s grab of power in Afghanistan also has repercussions for international justice. Law scholar and EUI alumna Sophie Duroy draws attention to a recent statement by the International Criminal Court Prosecutor that essentially lets the US off the hook for crimes committed in the war against terror.

In this commentary, Fatema Jafari, a former Policy Leader Fellow at EUI, calls on the European Union and the rest of the ‘international community’ not to tolerate Taliban brutality but to keep up the pressure on Taliban leaders to respect fundamental human rights and political freedoms.

The Taliban’s ascent to power in Afghanistan marks the end of US state building efforts and perhaps of liberal interventionism. The US and its European allies failed to establish legitimate governance, and thousands of Afghans suffer the consequences. SPS researcher Wolfgang Minatti points out why the Taliban now face a similar challenge.

Although the Intra-Afghan peace talks are a significant step towards a resolution of a forty-year-long war, challenges remain as violence continues and both sides not only have drastically opposing views but also face internal divisions.