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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230425
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230427
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20260120T144543Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260120T145410Z
UID:2131-1682380800-1682553599@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Conference on Afghanistan: Negotiating Difference and Pluralism in the Way Ahead
DESCRIPTION:The Islamic Republic collapsed in August 2021\, giving way to the return on the Taliban Emirate. The resurgence of the Taliban was made possible\, in part\, by deep divisions among citizens as well as growing divides between political leaders and the people they were supposed to serve. Violent conflict and uncertainty in Afghanistan over two generations have yielded polarization of various forms that represents a challenge to peace\, security\, and governance. Since the Taliban came to power\, Afghanistan has seen a rise in violence directed at specific religious\, ethnic\, and regional communities. \nCGM\, the American Institute for Afghanistan Studies\, and the U.S. Institute of Peace will convene a 2-day conference of Afghan scholars and practitioners to consider how Afghan society can begin to overcome these differences and build on past and present forms of social cohesion (and whether this can be done author authoritarian Taliban rule). On day one\, the conference will compromise of three panels\, each on a different theme (see below). On day two\, participants will engage in facilitated discussion and networking. \nDay one of the conference will be structured into three sequential panel discussions along the following themes: \nPanel 1: Social Cohesion & Coesitence: Lessons from the Past \nWhat are examples of social cohesion and pluralism in Aghan history\, either at the national level of the local level? What can these teach us about how to heal divisions and establish peaceful coexistence and tolerance\, both among citizens and between citizens and the state? What resources are needed\, from whom\, to replate these successful examples? \nPanel 2: Engagement from the Outside In? Lessons from Past Roles of the Diaspora \nIn the 1980s and 1990s\, what roles did external Afghan actors play in enabling\, mitigating\, and transcending the divisions that took hold? What lessons can we take from the past role of diaspora communities? \nPanel 3: Managing Difference through Systems of Governance \nHow can various governance models enable coexistence and inclusion? What lessons can we take from previous institutions and governing systems in Afghanistan? Can effective models be implemented at national or subnational levels amid the authoritarian rule of the Taliban\, and if so\, how?
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/afghanistan-negotiating-difference/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230425
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230426
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251113T195003Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251114T161719Z
UID:1762-1682380800-1682467199@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Negotiating Difference and Pluralism in the Way Ahead: A Conference on Afghanistan
DESCRIPTION:The Center for Governance and Markets along with the United States Institute of Peace\, the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies\, and The Hollings Center for International Dialogue invites the University of Pittsburgh community to join us for Negotiating Difference and Pluralism in the Way Ahead: A Conference on Afghanistan. \nThis conference of scholars and practitioners from Afghanistan explores how society in that country can begin to overcome differences and build on past and present forms of social cohesion—and whether this can be done under authoritarian Taliban rule.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/negotiating-difference-afghanistan/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230419T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230419T143000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251009T225502Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251023T210826Z
UID:1137-1681909200-1681914600@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Textual Speculations: How Generative AI Predicts the Next Word
DESCRIPTION:The current discourse around generative AI is steeped in speculation: how effective can large language models get? How will they affect employment and education? And are they leading to artificial general intelligence (AGI)? But beyond the discourse\, the models themselves are built on speculation: drawing from a giant dataset of natural language in text\, they predict the next word in a sequence. Earlier approaches to natural language generation (such as Markov models) also predicted the next word\, but recent large language models (LLMs) combine more complicated algorithms\, concepts of attention\, and larger datasets to conceal their predictive nature and produce far more coherent and plausible natural language. Yet AI writing detectors operate on this idea that AI writing is more predictable than that of humans: humans tend to write with greater “burstiness” and “perplexity.” \nWith the contrast between human and AI writing as a framing device\, this talk traces the ways that prediction has operated in generative AI and other historical attempts to automate writing. Attendees of the talk will come away with an understanding of: current Large Language Models driving generative AI writing and how they differ from earlier models; how AI models do and don’t replicate human writing; and the practical effects of generative AI in writing and pedagogy. \nAnnette Vee is Associate Professor of English and Director of the Composition Program at the University of Pittsburgh\, where she teaches writing and digital composition. She is the author of Coding Literacy (MIT Press\, 2017) and has published on computer programming\, digital literacy\, blockchain technologies\, intellectual property\, and AI-based text generators. \n  \nZoom Recording
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/textual-speculations-how-generative-ai-predicts-the-next-word/
LOCATION:Wesley W. Posvar Hall\, 230 S Bouquet St\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15213\, United States
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230417T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230417T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251029T134525Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251029T135503Z
UID:1443-1681743600-1681750800@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:A Year of Resilience in Ukraine
DESCRIPTION:April 17 at 3 PM ET\nIn-person: Posvar Hall 3911 \nJust one year ago Tymofiy Brik became the youngest university rector (provost) in the history of independent Ukraine. As the academic leader of the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE)\, he has managed the univesrsity faculty\, staff\, and students through incredible challenges. In this talk\, Brik will speak about the resilience of KSE and communities in Ukraine as they confront war. \nTymofii Brik\, the Rector (Provost) at the Kyiv School of Economics\, is currently serving as the Roberta Buffett Visiting Professor of International Studies in the Department of Sociology at Northwestern University in Spring 2023. His research interests focus on religious markets\, long-term social mobility\, and social network analysis. Since 2021\, Brik has been serving as the national coordinator of the European Social Survey (ESS) in Ukraine\, which is an international comparative study conducted in most European countries since 2002. Additionally\, he serves as the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Kyiv-based CEDOS think tank\, as an advisory board member of the Texty.org “Rating Sellers” project and of Gradus Research. Furthermore\, Brik is also a co-founder of the public restaurant Urban Space 500 in Kyiv.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/a-year-of-resilience-in-ukraine/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230413T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230413T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251020T175708Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251028T161701Z
UID:1275-1681398000-1681405200@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Introduction to AI Ethics
DESCRIPTION:Ravit Dotan\, University of Pittsburgh Center for Governance and Markets \nAI tools can be helpful when used well\, but they are dangerous when used irresponsibly. AI ethics is the field that aims to understand and manage the opportunities and risks of using AI. This talk introduces the audience to prominent AI risks\, the current state of AI ethics\, the landscape of AI regulation worldwide\, and what organizations should do to develop and use AI responsibly. \nWatch the seminar here.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/introduction-to-ai-ethics/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230412T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230412T133000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251029T135051Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251029T135444Z
UID:1445-1681300800-1681306200@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Governing Smart Cities as Knowledge Commons
DESCRIPTION:Please join Pitt Cyber\, the School of Law\, and the Center for Governance and Markets to celebrate the launch of Governing Smart Cities as Knowledge Commons. \nThe collection\, edited by Brett M. Frischmann\, Michael J. Madison\, and Madelyn Rose Sanfilippo\, features essays by Pitt’s Michael Madison and other thought leaders exploring the governance of smart cities\, shaping our understanding of increasingly critical regulatory and policy issues through case studies and a knowledge commons framework. This is the fifth book in the Governing Knowledge Commons series. \nThe event will feature commentary from Michael Madison and Karen Lightman\, Executive Director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Metro21: Smart Cities Institute.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/governing-smart-cities-as-knowledge-commons/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230330T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230330T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251020T175258Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251028T161754Z
UID:1272-1680188400-1680195600@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Using Information Privacy Standards to Build Governance Markets
DESCRIPTION:Jane Winn\, University of Washington School of Law and University of Pittsburgh School of Law; and Pam Dixon\, World Privacy Forum \nDrawing on American pragmatism\, Jane Winn and Pam Dixon contrast the U.S.’s compliance-driven\, innovation-friendly approach with the EU’s bureaucratic model\, proposing a federal framework that balances privacy protection with economic growth. \nWatch the seminar here.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/using-information-privacy-standards-to-build-governance-markets/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230328T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230328T140000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251017T214613Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251023T210852Z
UID:1257-1680008400-1680012000@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Automating Early Warning: The Possibilities and Limits of Predicting Conflict
DESCRIPTION:The presentation will showcase the approach to conflict forecasting used for conflictforecast.org that leverages the power of machine learning and natural language processing. By analyzing patterns in newspaper text\, algorithms can identify indicators of potential conflict and develop early warning systems for policymakers and other stakeholders. The presentation will highlight the key features and trade-offs of this approach\, including its scalability and accuracy. We will also discuss some of the key challenges and limitations of conflict forecasting in general\, and our approach in particular. Finally\, we will illustrate how predictions can be used to support decision-making when considering when and where to prevent conflict or to intervene. The presentation will feature case studies and real-world examples to illustrate the potential of this approach. \nChristopher Rauh is a Professor at the University of Cambridge\, Research Professor at PRIO\, Fellow of Trinity College Cambridge\, and a Research Affiliate at CEPR and HCEO. His fields are Labor Economics and Political Economy. He is a co-founder of conflictforecast.org\, a website providing monthly predictions about conflict risk. He has published in top Economics and Political Science journals\, such as American Political Science Review\, Journal of European Economic Association\, and Journal of Public Economics\, and has led to projects with the German Foreign Office and the Foreign\, Commonwealth & Development Office. His work has been featured widely across the media including the Economist\, The Guardian\, Washington Post\, the BBC\, FAZ\, and Der Spiegel\, and Bloomberg. \nHannes Mueller is a tenured researcher at the Institute for Economic Analysis (IAE/CSIC) and an Associated Research Professor at the Barcelona School of Economics (BSE). He is affiliated to the CEPR Development Economics program since 2015 and a Research Fellow since 2022. He publishes in leading journals in science\, economics and political science such as the American Economic Review (AER)\, the American Political Science Review (APSR)\, the Journal of the European Economic Association (JEEA) and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). In the last five years Hannes has specialized in the use of supervised and unsupervised machine learning methods in applications in economic and political science. He directs the Masters in Data Science for Decision Making at the BSE and numerous projects that introduce heterogenous data like text or images into social science research. One of the projects is the development of the conflict forecast webpage conflictforecast.org. This work has become a key resource for governments and international organizations engaged in conflict prevention and has led to collaborations and research contracts with the Spanish central bank (BdE)\, the German foreign office\, the UK Foreign\, Commonwealth & Development Office\, the IMF\, several UN organizations\, the World Bank and numerous NGOs. \nZoom Recording
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/automating-early-warning-the-possibilities-and-limits-of-predicting-conflict/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230323T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230323T163000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251017T165550Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251017T172720Z
UID:1243-1679583600-1679589000@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Artificial Justice
DESCRIPTION:March 23\, 3 p.m. ET: Jessica Silbey\, Boston University School of Law; Sarah Newman\, Harvard University metaLAB; and Halsey Burgund \nArtificial Justice \nThis is a presentation and discussion on Artificial Justice\, an ongoing experimental project that explores the complex intersections of Generative AI & the Law. This is a collaboration between professor Jessica Silbey (BU Law)\, artist & creative technologist Halsey Burgund (MIT Open Docs/metaLAB Harvard)\, and artist and AI researcher Sarah Newman (metaLAB Harvard/BKC)\, and is supported by a grant from the Notre Dame Tech Ethics Lab. The work interrogates the intersection of emerging technologies\, language\, and “justice.” As part of the presentation\, we ask participants to read short text passages and answer questions about them as they relate to these themes. No expertise is required. We will also share responses from participants in previous workshops. \n 
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/artificial-justice/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230320T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230320T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251113T191552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251113T191735Z
UID:1752-1679299200-1679331600@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Taxation and State-Building in Afghanistan: A Political Economy Perspective (2001-2021)
DESCRIPTION:Sarajuddin Isar examines the relationship between state-building and taxation with a particular focus on the Karzai (2001–2014) and Ghani (2014–2019) administrations\, whilst also placing this analysis within a longer-term historical framework. His research aims to answer three key questions. First\, how have state taxation policies evolved and changed over time? Second\, what explains these changes in taxation policies? Third\, what are the theoretical and policy implications of these findings? \n 
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/taxation-afghanistan/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230227T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230227T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251029T135358Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251029T135425Z
UID:1447-1677484800-1677517200@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:The Ethics & Regulation of Generative AI
DESCRIPTION:ChatGPT has roiled nearly every sector since its release in November. Hype abounds but so do real-world implications. Join CGM and Pitt Cyber for a lively discussion on the ethical implications and potential for regulation of generative AI. \nPanelists \nRavit Dotan \nAnnette Vee \nDavid Hickton
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/the-ethics-regulation-of-generative-ai/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230223T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230223T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251029T135833Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251029T135833Z
UID:1449-1677139200-1677171600@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Future-Proofing the US-European Relationship
DESCRIPTION:About the talk: Rachel Rizzo will discuss the relationship that US President Biden inherited from the Trump Administration\, how Biden has approached the US relationship with Europe over the last two years\, and what Europe must do going forward. \nAbout the speaker: Rachel Rizzo is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center. Her research focuses on European security\, NATO\, and the transatlantic relationship. \nPrior to joining the Atlantic Council\, Rizzo served as the director of programs at the Truman Center for National Policy and the Truman National Security Project\, where she managed a team of senior fellows and oversaw all Truman-branded publications\, programming\, and policy initiatives. From 2019-2020\, she spent a year as a Robert Bosch fellow in Berlin\, Germany\, where she worked at the Berlin office of Human Rights Watch leading a research project on the EU’s dual-use surveillance-technology export policy and serving as an advisor to a member of the German Bundestag. Rizzo also spent over five years at the Center for a New American Security and has co-authored several of the center’s reports including More Than Burden Sharing: Five Objectives for the 2018 NATO Summit\, Defining Moment: The Future of the Transatlantic Security Relationship\, and Transatlantic Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific: Recommendations for the Next U.S. Administration. Her writing has appeared in publications such as Politico\, Foreign Policy\, Defense One\, the National Interest\, World Politics Review\, and War on the Rocks. She is a frequent commentator on European security\, and has provided analysis for the New York Times\, Washington Post\, Wall Street Journal\, CNN\, National Public Radio\, LA Times\, Atlantic\, Politico\, and Foreign Policy\, among others. Rizzo received her MA in security policy studies from the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs where she focused on defense analysis and homeland-security policy. She graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in finance and began her career as a financial analyst with Goldman Sachs.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/future-proofing-the-us-european-relationship/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230216T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230216T163000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251017T165036Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251017T165127Z
UID:1242-1676559600-1676565000@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Judging the Black Box: AI and Administrative Law
DESCRIPTION:Judging the Black Box: AI and Administrative Law \nWith the steady increaIFramese in the use of AI/ML mechanisms in regulatory decision-making at the federal and state level\, important questions arise about how best to use and adapt administrative law rules to agency decision making. Some reforms look at changing internal processes and structures. Rodriguez’s focus is on external oversight\, especially the role of reviewing courts in so-called “hard look” review. \n 
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/judging-the-black-box-ai-and-administrative-law/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230215T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230215T143000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251029T140200Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251029T140200Z
UID:1451-1676466000-1676471400@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:What Makes Ukraine Resilient in an Asymmetric War?
DESCRIPTION:What Makes Ukraine Resilient in an Asymmetric War? A Survey of Local Governments’ Emergency Responses\nOleksandra Keudel \nCo-sponsored by the Center for Russian\, East European\, and Eurasian Studies \nWednesday\, February 15\, 2023 | 1 p.m. ET \n\nRead Keudel’s full policy memo here. \nWhat explains the resilience of local authorities in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion? Using original survey data\, this talk explores how local authorities continue to provide public services and respond to crises because of Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure and massive internal displacement. The findings highlight a shifting social contract in Ukraine towards partnership between authorities and citizens as the foundation for democracy. \nOleksandra Keudel is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Policy and Governance at the Kyiv School of Economic and is a Petrach Ukrainian Studies Fellow at the Institute for European\, Russian and Eurasian Studies at George Washington University. Her book “How Patronal Networks Shape Opportunities for Local Citizen Participation in a Hybrid Regime: A Comparative Analysis of Five Cities in Ukraine”  was published with ibidem/Columbia University Press. Keudel’s research focuses on local democracy\, social movements and civic engagement\, and business-political arrangements at the local level in Ukraine.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/what-makes-ukraine-resilient-in-an-asymmetric-war/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230131T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230131T143000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251017T220042Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251105T185012Z
UID:1260-1675170000-1675175400@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Predicting Well-Being in the Real-World and Real-Time: Possibilities and Challenges
DESCRIPTION:A key part of grasping a fuller understanding of human flourishing for creating a culture of health involves considering well-being as a continual process of healthy functioning that unfolds in context and over time\, rather than a static endpoint of wellness. Human flourishing in the real-world and in real-time is often characterized by person-specific nuances that are most often clouded by aggregate-level assessments\, overcasting the researcher’s view of the underlying contextual and cultural causalities. Using a dynamical systems approach\, I will demonstrate Ecological Momentary Assessment and other field-based designs\, ecologically valid measurement tools\, and the analysis of intensive longitudinal data to uncover the complexities of individualized social and behavioral dynamics that shape health and well-being. \nDr. Saida Heshmati is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Claremont Graduate University. Her research lies in the understanding of how optimal development unfolds over time in diverse samples through dynamical systems perspectives. Using her expertise in human development and state-of-the-art analytical methods\, she examines large datasets related to individual and group characteristics that influence psychological well-being as part of positive development. Through her work\, she aims to bring together a suite of measurement tools and research designs in the service of developing idiographic\, culturally-informed\, and context-sensitive approaches to understanding optimal development in youth\, in particular those who are marginalized. Dr. Heshmati has a multicultural background which has informed her scientific research; she is an Iranian-American scholar and an immigrant who has lived in five different countries and travelled to more than 20 countries\, and still counting. \nZoom Recording
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/predicting-well-being-in-the-real-world-and-real-time-possibilities-and-challenges/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230126T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230126T163000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20250930T192222Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251017T165314Z
UID:1117-1674745200-1674750600@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Data Privacy and Security Concerns after Roe v. Wade
DESCRIPTION:Michael Sinha\, St. Louis University School of Law\nData Privacy and Security Concerns after Roe v. Wade \nIn June 24\, 2022\, the US Supreme Court issued its opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization\, overturning nearly 50 years of precedent established in its 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. By eliminating a federal constitutional right to abortion\, Dobbs effectively reverted the decision to the states. Almost immediately\, several state statutes took effect\, some going as far as to ban abortion and criminalize those who aid or abet the process. In Texas\, ordinary citizens are now empowered to surveil pregnant persons through the provision of bounties in exchange for information that leads to prosecution. In Nebraska\, a Facebook Messenger conversation between a mother and her daughter as to the proper use of medication abortion led to criminal charges. These instances and others have raised concerns about the extent to which our data – health-related or otherwise – can be accessed and misused for malicious purposes. Major gaps in the current US data privacy infrastructure have far-reaching consequences beyond abortion policy\, and I will discuss these issues in the context of broader data privacy reform proposals.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/data-privacy-roevwade/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230120T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230120T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251113T192046Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251113T192112Z
UID:1753-1674201600-1674234000@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:The Constitution and Laws of the Taliban 1994-2001
DESCRIPTION:“When the Taliban wrestled back control of Afghanistan in August 2021\, they reinstated an autocratic system of governance that is reminiscent of their first period of rule\, in the mid-1990s. In a move that put an end to troubled peace negotiations\, they initially seemed bent on bringing back the Islamic Emirate that broadly defined their rule from 1996 to 2001. This resurgence has highlighted a gap in scholarly research regarding the Taliban’s possible intended legal frameworks. Over the past two years\, numerous studies have attempted to make sense of the Taliban’s constitutional and legal imagination and to draw conclusions about what that may mean for Afghanistan. Previous studies are heavily informed by the Taliban’s 2005 Constitution—the first document made public allegedly by the group. This project\, which should be viewed as a guide to the Taliban’s favored legal order\, presents translations of a wide variety of Taliban-era laws that provide the context for and insight into the Taliban’s latest ascent to power. So far\, it appears that their recent efforts strongly resemble the methods they used in the 1990s. It seems that religious symbolism is of high importance to the group\, in that the state must not only do moral policing and guide Muslims to the “right path” but also appear obviously “Islamic” in all symbols\, including flag\, official titles\, dressing of the officials\, speeches\, calendar\, and holidays. One translated decree shows that the word ‘emirate’ replaced the word ‘state’\, as the former creates an impression of greater religiosity—a political organization headed by Amir al-Mominin\, commander of the faithful.” -Bashir Mobasher \n 
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/the-constitution-and-laws-of-the-taliban-1994-2001/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/afghanistan-5.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230119T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230119T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251012T210224Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251017T164251Z
UID:1148-1674140400-1674147600@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Computational Entities for Regular People
DESCRIPTION:Carla Reyes\, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law \nThis project explores whether and how regular people\, the group of non-crypto enthusiast business owners that make-up the majority of LLC members\, can take advantage of the rise of computational LLCs. The Article argues that the road to mass adoption of computational LLCs runs through entrepreneurs with little to no prior knowledge of coding\, computational law\, or blockchain technology and the DAOs that generate the most interest among law-makers and the media. Arguing computational LLCs offer benefits to even the smallest business owner\, this Article proceeds in three parts. Part I examines the rise of computational LLCs\, the new laws designed to enable their formation\, and common objections to both. Section II answers those objections by detailing key legal and business advantages of computational LLCs for regular people. Section II also explores current models for computational LLC code\, and reveals the obstacles those models present for most entrepreneurs and their lawyers. Section III solves those obstacles by introducing a form operating agreement for a single member computational LLC\, written in natural language code and then considers the broader implications of computational LLCs for business law and entrepreneurial lawyers.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/computational-entities-for-regular-people/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/crypto.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230118T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230118T143000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251029T140636Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251029T140653Z
UID:1455-1674046800-1674052200@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:The Problem of Democracy
DESCRIPTION:The Problem of Democracy: America\, the Middle East\, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea \nFeaturing Wisdom of Crowds podcast hosts Damir Marusic and Shadi Hamid\, to discuss Hamid’s new book “The Problem of Democracy: America\, the Middle East\, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea” with CGM Director Jennifer Murtazashvili \nCo-hosted by Pitt Law\, Center for International Legal Education (“CILE”)\, and the Department of Political Science \nWednesday\, January 18\, 2023\n1 p.m. ET\nOnline – Register here\nIn person – Alcoa Room\, Barco Law Building – Register here (required due to building COVID restrictions) \nAbout the topic: \nShadi Hamid reimagines the ongoing debate on democracy’s merits and proposes an ambitious agenda for reviving the lost art of democracy promotion in the world’s most undemocratic regions. \nWhat happens when democracy produces “bad” outcomes? Is democracy good because of its outcomes or despite them? This “democratic dilemma” is one of the most persistent\, vexing problems for America abroad\, particularly in the Middle East–we want democracy in theory but not necessarily in practice. \nWhen Islamist parties rise to power through free elections\, the United States has too often been ambivalent or opposed\, preferring instead pliable dictators. With this legacy of democratic disrespect in mind\, and drawing on new interviews with top American officials\, Shadi Hamid explores universal questions of morality\, power\, and hypocrisy. Why has the United States failed so completely to live up to its own stated ideals in the Arab world? And is it possible for it to change? \nIn The Problem of Democracy\, Hamid offers an ambitious reimagining of this ongoing debate and argues for “democratic minimalism” as a path to resolving democratic dilemmas in the Middle East and beyond. In the seemingly eternal tension between democracy and liberalism\, recognized by the ancient Greeks and the American founders alike\, it may be time to prioritize one over the other\, rather than acting as if the two are intertwined when increasingly they are not. \nAt the end of the Cold War\, the democratic idea was victorious\, so much so that it took on more meaning than it could bear. Democracy became a means to other ends\, whether it was liberalism\, economic development\, or cultural progress. What if\, instead\, democracy was reconceptualized as its own end? What if the people are right even when they’re wrong? \nThe problem of democracy is no longer just a Middle Eastern problem. The polarizing effects of identity\, culture\, and religion are now haunting the world’s oldest democracies. At home\, a growing number of Americans are realizing that respecting election results when the other side wins is easier said than done. To look then at the democratic dilemma abroad is to consider a deeper set of questions around why we believe democracy is good as well as whether we think it is good for other nations and cultures.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/the-problem-of-democracy/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/democracy.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221208T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221208T143000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251023T210753Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251025T002805Z
UID:1343-1670504400-1670509800@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Algorithms in Criminal Justice
DESCRIPTION:Megan Stevenson is an economist\, criminal justice scholar\, associate law professor\, and professor of Economics at the University of Virginia. She conducts empirical research in various areas of criminal justice reform\, including bail\, algorithmic risk assessment\, misdemeanors\, and juvenile justice. She publishes in both law reviews and economic journals\, including the Stanford Law Review\, the Washington University Law Review\, the Minnesota Law Review\, the Boston College Law Review\, the Boston University Law Review\, the Review of Economics and Statistics\, and the Journal of Law\, Economics\, & Organization. \nZoom Recording\n \n 
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/algorithms-in-criminal-justice/
LOCATION:William Pitt Union\, 3959 Fifth Ave\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15260\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/criminaljustice.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221201T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221201T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251025T184211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251028T161829Z
UID:1360-1669906800-1669914000@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Embodied Narratives: Protecting Identity Interests through Ethical Governance of Bioinformation
DESCRIPTION:Emily Postan\, University of Edinburgh Law School \nEmily Postan is a Chancellor’s Fellow in Bioethics at the University of Edinburgh Law School and a Deputy Director of the Mason Institute for Medicine\, Life Sciences and the Law\, with lead responsibility for the Institute’s policy engagement portfolio. Emily is an interdisciplinary bioethicist with a background in philosophy.  Her main research focus lies in interrogating the roles played by biomedical technologies\, personal information\, and health informatics in our identities\, and in characterizing the ethical significance of these roles. \nWatch the talk here.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/embodied-narratives-protecting-identity-interests-through-ethical-governance-of-bioinformation/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-25-at-2.41.46-PM-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221130T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221130T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251113T192313Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251113T192341Z
UID:1755-1669815000-1669827600@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:The Balkh School of Islamic Thought: An Approach Towards Pluralist Coexistence for the Muslim World
DESCRIPTION:In this lecture\, Mirwais Balkhi discusses why\, despite numerous collective and individual efforts\, Afghanistan has failed to eradicate terrorism produced by Islamic extremism. The talk proposes the Balkh School of Thought as a viable alternative narrative in Afghanistan to diminish extremist and takfiri discourses of the Taliban and other Jihadist groups in the Middle East. In this talk Balkhi suggests the best way to counter radicalism is to update and expand successful and effective narratives of the past that have shown significant achievements that support moderation and reciprocity.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/balkh-school-of-thought/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/afghanistan-h.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221116T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221116T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251113T192641Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251113T192727Z
UID:1756-1668605400-1668618000@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Afghanistan One Year Later: The Economics of a Collapsed State
DESCRIPTION:This panel discusses the economics of Afghanistan one year after the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the Taliban in August 2021. The panel reflects on the political economy and institutional aspects of the Taliban regime\, its fiscal management and service delivery\, and the current socio-economic condition in the country with respect to poverty\, education\, and health.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/afghanistan-one-year-later-the-economics-of-a-collapsed-state/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/one-year-later.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221115T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221115T163000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251029T140935Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251113T184540Z
UID:1457-1668524400-1668529800@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Navigating Differences in an Age of Toxic Polarization
DESCRIPTION:As an early architect of the bridge-building and strengthening democracy ecosystem in the U.S.\, Sharif Azami will share insights on what lies ahead as we work to build a just\, multicultural\, multi-racial democracy. His talk will highlight how toxic polarization and extremism are not just undermining key democratic institutions and norms here at home but also threaten global governance and shared flourishing. \nAbout Sharif Azami \nSharif Azami works within the philanthropic sector to mend America’s deepest divides and strengthen democracy. His work seeks to develop new pathways for a just\, multi-racial\, multi-cultural democracy in the U.S. Sharif has worked on governance\, social transformation\, and peacebuilding since early 2000 with CIDA\, Oxfam GB\, and United Nations World Food Programme\, among others. He has also earned a master’s in International Development Policy from Duke University and a graduate certificate in Peace and Conflict Resolution from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/navigating-differences-in-an-age-of-toxic-polarization/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/multicultural.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221115T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221115T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251029T141121Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251113T184441Z
UID:1459-1668499200-1668531600@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Everyday Choices: The Role of Competing Authorities and Institutions in Politics and Development
DESCRIPTION:The Governance and Local Development Institute (GLD) is a research program based at the University of Gothenburg\, originally founded in 2013 at Yale University by Professor Ellen Lust. GLD focuses on the local factors driving governance and development. The institute is dedicated to international collaboration and scientifically rigorous\, policy-relevant research in an effort to promote human welfare globally. Findings are made available to the international and domestic communities through academic publications\, policy briefs\, public presentations\, social media\, and on-the-ground workshops in cooperation with local partners. \nMission \n“We aim to promote human welfare by conducting scientifically rigorous research across the globe. Our research focuses on answering a fundamental question: why are some communities able to provide secure environments\, good education\, adequate healthcare\, and other factors that encourage human development\, while others fail to do so? We engage with communities across the world\, develop methodological tools\, gather data\, undertake analyses on major issues affecting societies today\, and disseminate findings to academics\, relevant policy-makers\, and the communities in which we work.” \nAbout Ellen Lust\nEllen Lust is the Founding Director of the Program on Governance and Local Development at Yale University (est. 2013)\, at the University of Gothenburg (est. 2015)\, and Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg. She received her M.A. in Modern Middle East and North African Studies (1993) and PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan (1997). She was previously a faculty member at Rice University (1997-2000) and Yale University (2000-2015)\, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Yale University\, and a visiting scholar at the Institute of Graduate Studies (Geneva\, Switzerland) and the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at NYU. \nEllen has conducted fieldwork and implemented surveys in Algeria\, Egypt\, Jordan\, Kenya\, Libya\, Malawi\, Morocco\, Palestine\, Syria\, Tunisia and Zambia. She has authored numerous books\, textbooks\, and articles including\, most recently\, Safer Research in the Social Sciences: A Systematic Handbook for Human and Digital Security\, (SAGE Publishing\, 2020) in collaboration with Jannis Grimm\, Kevin Koehler\, Ilyas Saliba\, and Isabell Schierenbeck. Ellen’s current research examines the role of social institutions in governance. She is also leading GLD’s work on the development of a tool to systematically gauge sub-national variations in governance. \nShe is a co-founder of the Transitional Governance Project\, a founding associate editor of Middle East Law and Governance\, and has served as an advisor and consultant to organizations including the Carter Center\, Freedom House\, NDI\, UNDEF\, UNDP\, USAID\, and the World Bank. The Carnegie Corporation of New York\, the National Science Foundation\, Social Science Research Council\, the Swedish Research Council\, and the Moulay Hicham/Hicham Alaoui Foundation have supported her work.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/everyday-choices-the-role-of-competing-authorities-and-institutions-in-politics-and-development/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/choice.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221110T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221110T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251025T182929Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251106T185704Z
UID:1358-1668092400-1668099600@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Can Blockchain Solve the Dilemma in the Ethics of Genomic Biobanks?
DESCRIPTION:Valerie Racine\, Western New England University \nValerie Racine completed her Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of Science at ASU’s Center for Biology and Society in 2016. Her dissertation project studied the development of particular research programs in molecular genetics and genomics during the 20th century. After a short stay as a Visiting Fellow at the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research in Klosterneuburg\, Austria\, she joined Western New England University as Assistant Professor of Philosophy in 2017. She was tenured and promoted to Associate Professor in 2022 but decided to leave academia soon after. She continues to research topics in bioethics\, data ethics\, and AI ethics as she pursues a new career trajectory in software development.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/can-blockchain-solve-the-dilemma-in-the-ethics-of-genomic-biobanks/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221027T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221027T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251025T182225Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251111T235503Z
UID:1356-1666882800-1666890000@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Modeling the Caselaw Access Project
DESCRIPTION:Felix Chang and Erin McCabe\, University of Cincinnati \nFelix B. Chang serves as the Associate Dean for Faculty and Research at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. He is a Professor of Law\, Co-Director of the Corporate Law Center\, and Director of the Corporate Law Concentration. Professor Chang’s writings span broad aspects of markets\, inheritance\, and inequality. In antitrust and financial regulation\, his prior scholarship examined the balance between competition and systemic risk in the derivatives markets. Along with an interdisciplinary team\, he is currently developing new tools for antitrust research through topic modeling.  In the areas of wealth and racial inequality\, Professor Chang has written on\, as well as the parallels between Roma inclusion and the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Currently\, he is working on how inheritance laws affect inequality in China and the United States. \nErin McCabe is Digital Scholarship Library Fellow at the University of Cincinnati. She joined the Digital Scholarship Center as the Digital Scholarship Library Fellow (one of several Mellon grant-funded positions supporting research on machine learning and data visualization) in 2018. She now works on several research teams across disciplines and acts as liaison between academic and technology units. She previously worked on data analysis projects with academic publishers at JSTOR and in reference services at the Brooklyn branch of Long Island University. \nWatch the seminar here.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/modeling-the-caselaw-access-project/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221026T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221026T143000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251113T192859Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251113T192951Z
UID:1758-1666791000-1666794600@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Afghanistan One Year Later: Human Rights and Civil Society under Taliban Rule
DESCRIPTION:A panel with Khalid Ramizy\, Hasina Jalal\, and Omar Sadr.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/afghanistan-one-year-later-human-rights-and-civil-society-under-taliban-rule/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221018T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221018T143000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251023T212736Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251025T002958Z
UID:1348-1666098000-1666103400@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:The Art and Science of Election Polling
DESCRIPTION:G. Elliott Morris is a staff data journalist and US correspondent for The Economist. He writes about American politics\, public opinion polling\, demographics\, and elections. He is responsible for many of the paper’s election forecasting models\, including the 2020 US presidential election forecast and polling models for several European countries. He writes for The Economist‘s weekly “Checks and Balance” newsletter on US politics. He is proficient in machine learning models\, Bayesian statistics\, and the various tools in the standard social science toolkit. \nMichael Colaresi is the William S. Dietrich II Chair of Political Science and the research and academic director of Pitt Cyber\, as well as the director of the Pitt Disinformation Lab. His work leverages the accelerating availability of computational tools\, including machine learning and Bayesian approaches\, along with unstructured information\, such as from digitized text\, to build and improve models of information technology in democracies\, national security secrecy and oversight\,  international and intrastate violence\, and changes in human rights over time. He also develops computational and visual tools that enable domain specialists to work alongside computer scientists to improve specific applications. In 2022-23\, he is a fellow of the Stability and Change program at the Center for Advanced Studies in Oslo\, Norway. He was the co-editor of the journal International Interactions from 2014-2019 and was co-recipient of the Best Visualization Award from the Journal of Peace Research in 2017 and the Gosnell Prize for Excellence in Political Methodology from the Methodology section of the American Political Science Association in 2006. His book Democracy Declassified was shortlisted for the 2015 Conflict Research Society Book Prize. He has been PI or co-PI on four NSF grants and is a research affiliate for the ERC-funded Violence Early Warning Project at the University of Uppsala and the Peace Research Institute Oslo. At the University of Pittsburgh he co-founded the new major in Computational Social Science and in his previous position at Michigan State University\, he founded and directed the Social Science Data Analytics initiative.
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/the-art-and-science-of-election-polling/
LOCATION:William Pitt Union\, 3959 Fifth Ave\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15260\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/polls.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221013T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221013T170000
DTSTAMP:20260616T080804
CREATED:20251029T141332Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251113T193459Z
UID:1461-1665648000-1665680400@pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co
SUMMARY:Dysfunctional Centralization and Growing Fragility under Taliban Rule
DESCRIPTION:The Center for Governance and markets hosted “Dysfunctional Centralization and Growing Fragility under Taliban Rule” on October 12 as part of the center’s ongoing “Voices from Afghanistan” seminar series. The event featured Sayed Madadi\, who currently serves as a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy and a resident scholar with the Middle East Institute’s Afghanistan and Pakistan Studies program. Madadi formerly worked for the Afghanistan State Ministry for Peace as Director of Foreign Relations and participated in Afghanistan Peace Negotiations with the Taliban in Doha. \nSince the collapse of the Afghan government and takeover of the country by the Taliban in August 2021\, the country has descended further into political instability\, human rights violations\, and extreme poverty. Madadi argues that a key contributing factor to the crisis is a dysfunctional structure of governance centered around Kabul that became even more paralyzed and unresponsive under Taliban control. \n“The Taliban’s return to power was a huge factor in how we’re seeing the country struggling with all of these political and economic challenges\, but the root cause of these challenges were there before\,” Madadi said. “And one of those factors — if not the only or the biggest one\, one of the key ones — was the centralization of political power and economic planning in Kabul.” \nPolitical and economic power in Afghanistan is heavily concentrated in Kabul\, Madadi explained\, to the detriment of the rest of the country. He said that once Kabul became a center of activity in Afghanistan in the 1880s\, wealthy Afghans began to migrate to Kabul to be near political and economic opportunities. Additionally\, Afghans seeking to increase their wealth left their home provinces and moved to Kabul. \n“Over time\, basically\, Kabul grew at the expense of the rest of the country\,” said Madadi. “Human resources came to Kabul. The best and brightest of the country had to come to Kabul for education\, for job opportunities\, and most of them never went back to their provinces.” \nKabul eventually became the center of all economic and political activity in Afghanistan and the seat of the Afghan government. Other provinces paid taxes to Kabul\, where corrupt economic and political structures had little commitment or political will to invest that money back into the well-being and infrastructure of those provinces. This created a system where\, if a province generated more revenue\, they made themselves poorer. \nThis intense centralization of funds and resources\, in addition to the problems it created in the governance of Afghanistan before 2021\, contributed massively to the instantaneous collapse of the country to the Taliban when Kabul fell. \n“In some sense\, there was no economy outside of Kabul to speak about. Everything outside of Kabul was an extension of the economic sphere we had created in Kabul\,” Madadi said. “So when Kabul collapsed\, it was almost like you just untied the very top knot of a picnic tent. So everything else will fall apart.” \nMadadi also discussed the misuse of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan and how the international community must rethink the fundamental framework of how aid is provided in countries like Afghanistan. The question neglected for years regarding aid and restructuring in Afghanistan\, Madadi explained\, was whether or not funds “created capacity for sustainable value generation in the long term\, or does it only feed people for today or the next day?” The aid currently being provided\, he said\, is the latter. The political crisis is to blame for the humanitarian crisis\, according to Madadi. The Taliban regime is isolated from the world\, and without international trade\, the economy of Afghanistan cannot function. This is the cause of poverty and hunger. \nIn fact\, the means of aid provision actually empowers the regime\, Madadi said\, by allowing it to do two things: Use aid money to pay its own soldiers while leveraging aid for political reasons within the country (for example\, withholding funds from provinces it deems as unfriendly to Taliban rule or provinces populated by ethnic minorities)\, and allow the Taliban to keep all of the funds it raises to reinforce its own grip on power while providing no governance or public services using its own money. \nInternational aid and state-building as usual will not be effective in Afghanistan. In addition to funds being misused by the regime\, the economic structure is still overly centralized in Kabul\, leaving outer provinces at a distinct disadvantage. That\, in Madadi’s opinion\, is why decentralization is essential. \n“I think state building efforts in Afghanistan have usually followed at least three objectives. The first and foremost is stability\, to make sure they keep this country together and that European definition of monopolizing the use of force. The other objective has been to create a national identity where everybody sees himself or herself in that identity as a collective. And the third one\, which has been much more prominent since 2001\, is to strengthen democratic principles and democratic institutions\,” Madadi said. “My thinking is that all of those objectives would be served at best if you have a decentralized political structure. It allows people public participation across the country in a much more meaningful way. It makes the country much more stable because the root causes of the conflict is the division of political power. The conflict that you see in Afghanistan is mainly an ethnic conflict among different communities who cannot agree on how to divide power.” \nMadadi acknowledged that this sort of ethnic infighting is one reason that some are reluctant to advocate for the decentralization of Afghanistan. Common critiques are that the country is too fragmented and requires the kind of centralization seen in Kabul\, that Afghanistan does not have the money or resources to restructure\, and that now is simply not the proper time. \n“None of the countries you see that are decentralized have decentralized during their very shiny moments in history. If everything is perfectly fine\, if a centralized system is fully functional and effective\, there is no reason to decentralize. Decentralization comes as a solution at a time of crisis\,” Madadi explained. “I think that a lot of the issues that critics of decentralization suggest as obstacles or reasons that will incentivize us not decentralize are actually the reasons for decentralization. Decentralization is not a factor that will divide the country\, it’s something that will bring the country [together].”
URL:https://pitt-cgm.dotfoundry.co/event/dysfunctional-centralization-and-growing-fragility-under-taliban-rule/
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END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR